The Better to Kill You With, My Dear
by The Maiden of Autumn
Summary: L has a history of failed successors-the most infamous, Beyond Birthday. When L is kidnapped, the only clue to his whereabouts a confusing message left by B, Light, now the new L, must search to find his friend. When L is finally located a year later, he finds that B's done something sick to L- something that left him not fully human... LightxL (TEMPORARY HIATUS)
1. The Better to Kidnap You With

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

* * *

L often didn't have a problem working alone- the silence of the darkened rooms he worked in was often more peaceful than the blathering of the masses, and the bright white glow of the screens of the computers he used were often more homey and familiar to him than any other home setting could provide.

Work was what he knew- it was what he had born to do, as he had been gifted with such an intelligent, analytical mind. It was what he was used to, what he would do as long as he lived and until the moment he died. And honestly, he was not a patient man- wealth, an abundance of those catering to one's self, and being able to have anything he wished upon a snap of his fingers had spoiled him, he openly admitted- and so, he had no patience for the sheer idiocy of many.

Especially those idiots named Matsuda.

So yes, L preferred working alone.

However, he was willing to sacrifice his own comfort and safety for the sake of Justice. Justice came first, and the safety of many was much more important than the safety of one.

And besides, L had not expected to live overly long, anyways.

Being the best detective in the world led to being hated by many of the criminal populace, and technology, no matter how advanced it was, tended to be somewhat glitchy. Not very often, as L paid for and expected nearly absolute perfection, but it did happen. Sooner or later, some assassin or criminal that he would not be able to fend off would get to him, kill him off, and lead to one of his successors taking on his title. It was what they were being groomed them for, after all.

But his successors were the ones that were supposed to take his title and through it, let him live on through them. "L" was not to die, and therefore, as the original, he himself, would never die, either.

But... his successors were not supposed to take that away.

And that was the thought running through his mind as a strong, steel-like arm wrapped around his waist and an icy cold blade- wet with something warm and a 98% chance of being a dark, crimson red- pressed against his throat.

There was a reason L feared the dark, and it was because of monsters. Not the typical furry, fanged ones, but ones that had red eyes and his face, ones that possessed a brilliant, insane mind with a tendency to murder just for the thrill and an unquenchable thirst to beat him, to break him.

Monsters that were real, not something just out of a children's story book, but were as real as the cheesecake he devoured on a daily basis. Monsters that targeted him, hunted him, taunted him constantly with fleeting glimpses and shadows.

Monsters with the name of Beyond Birthday.

L feared the darkness, but he never feared it more when that cold, insane voice whispered, "Hello, Lawli," with sadistic glee a split second before a nerve in his neck was pinched and he felt the darkness descending, rendering him unconscious, unknowing, and in the hands of a complete psychopath.

His last thought, before blacking out completely, was that perhaps if there was Light in the room, the darkness would have been held at bay a little while longer.

* * *

"He's what?!" Light asked incredulously, staring at Watari while the alarms in the room flashed, turning the room from black, to red, to black all over again. It dyed everything a bloody red, casting an eerie light over the old man  
hunched over the control panel of the building, desperately trying to reboot the system.

"L has been kidnapped," the old man replied, a barely repressed note of panic threading through his voice. "And the intruder has shut down the whole building's security system, power, everything. There's only one other person besides L that could have done this-God," the old man shakily said, then more quietly, as if to himself, "please don't let it be him…"

At that point, Soichiro and Matsuda ran in, Aizawa and Mogi trailing along behind. Worry and concern was written all over their features, and Soichiro threw a look at his son, clearly asking what was going on. "L's been kidnapped," Light explained, to the cries of incredulousy from Matsuda and Aizawa.

"How-" Soichiro started, but was cut off from a curse from Watari.

"Goddamn that bastard!" Watari yelled, banging his fists down on the control panel as the lights came flickering back on to their normal brightness. A single computer booted up with a gothic letter 'B' displayed on it, in the same style that L and Watari themselves used.

As the B came on, there must have been a recording to go with it. Over the speakers, there came a chuckle, starting low and dark, sending a flash of worry through Light, then grew to high-pitched, insane cackles, ones that made Light grit his teeth made the hairs on the back of his neck prick up.

"Kyahaha! Greetings, greetings to all of you within the illustrious Kira Task Force building!" the voice cried as the cackles trailed off. The voice itself was unsettling, clearly the choice of an insane man. Yet it was disturbing in  
the fact that it sounded so familiar, so close to one that Light had been hearing every day for the last few weeks…

"If you're hearing this, then you've already figured out your precious L, your precious detective, is gone- and there was nothing that you, Watari, could do about it. Think on that, old man," the voice chuckled, and as Light glanced over at Watari, he could see the old man's fists clench and his eyes narrow in anger. "It's really too bad, isn't it, that your one chance at finding Kira is now gone, in the hands of a man who you have no clue what is going to do with him."

"But never fear- I'll be kind enough to settle at least some of your fears. I won't kill L- oh, no, not when he's the best chance at finding Kira, and I really, really, really, really hate him. No, I, you, need L alive. So, I'll return him to you alive when I'm done with him- and be happy! An associate of mine, K, has taught me so much about the little techniques she's used and developed in her time as a doctor, and I've developed some of my own! Rejoice- by the time I return L to you, he'll be a much better detective- perhaps not as sane, but I'm sure he'll be able to… shall we say… sniff out the criminals much better?! Haha! Kyahahaha!"

And with that, the cackling cut off as the recording came to an end, and there was a second of stunned silence before Watari dropped to his knees, glaring at the computer that still displayed the B. "You psychopath," Watari breathed. "What have you done?"

* * *

L came to slowly, not really registering anything at first. The nerve pinch had frazzled his brain, leaving his thoughts fuzzy, and he also thought that his kidnapper might have drugged him- his mouth was dry as cotton, and his eyesight was blurry as well.

However, he was able to make out the slim, darkly dressed figure standing with his back to him, holding up something that gleamed in the light.

Fear flashed though L as he saw what it was- a syringe. He couldn't afford to be drugged any more than this; he needed his full thinking capacities to get out of this!

Beyond turned to him, pressing down on the plunger of the syringe to remove all the air bubbles. As he glanced over at L, the sight of the large black eyes, glazed over with the sedatives he had given the detective earlier and the fear of the situation, made a grin spread across his face. "Glad to see you're awake, Lawli!" the psychopath said, smiling sadistically. "But I'm afraid that you'll have to go back to sleep- I'm not ready for you to be awake yet- not until I've injected you with your first treatment."

"Treee….meennnt?" L slurred, barely able to force the words out through unresponsive lips.

Beyond nodded, black spikes so much like L's own waving with the movement. "Yes. K-you remember K, don't you?"

And L did- the psychopathic doctor that had created a virus that, if she had released, could have wiped out nearly all of Earth's population. Beyond, seeing the remembrance in L's eyes, continued. "Yeah, I see you do. We used to be friends, back before she was caught, and taught me a lot about what she did- along with a project she was working on. She wasn't able to finish it, but I found her notes, and therefore, I was able to. And lucky you, L- you'll be the first one gifted with it. But really, you need to go to sleep, so…"

L watched with panic as Beyond turned to grab a syringe of clear fluid, and as Beyond came close to inject L with the sedative, his eyes caught a glimpse of another, larger syringe filled with a pearlescent fluid.

_That doesn't look good,_ L thought, before his eyes slipped closed once more.

* * *

When they finally got the room back into order and Watari off the floor and into a chair in the living room of the Headquarters, they all sat down, waiting for Watari to explain.

"Before I start, I'd like to tell you of L's wishes if something ever happened and he could not abide by his duties as L," Watari said. "He wished for Light to take over for him, until he was able to return, or to take over permanently if he died."

"L wanted… me… to become the next L?" Light said incredulously, not believing it. He'd idolized the detective for so long, wanted to go into the criminal justice system because of L, but to actually take over… it was mind-boggling.

And in a way, infuriated him even more. The only reason this was happening was because of Beyond Birthday. Determination hardened him, and Light nodded. "Alright. I'll do it. But only until we get L back. And until then, I'll use all my resources as L to find this Beyond Birthday," Light said. "And we can do that by you telling us what you know about him," Light said to Watari.

And after taking a sip of coffee, Watari did.

He explained B and L's history, retelling the tale of how Beyond went insane with L's supposed rejection of him, how it led to the LABB murder case, how B was finally caught and locked up in a Los Angeles prison, but how he had escaped and had been lying low for the past year. Watari and L had tightened security wherever they went, but in the end, it had not been enough.

B was a brilliant psychopath, possessing an intelligence and cleverness to rival L's. Their security measures had done nothing but slow B down and in the end, the murderer had gotten what he wanted.

"But what I don't understand," Watari said, wrapping up his tale with a sip of tea, "was why B didn't just kill L right away. As far as I know, that was what he had wanted since his mind broke those years ago- to eliminate L and take his place. The fact that his plans have changed and he's now holding L hostage do not bode well for my charge."

"We'll do all we can to find him," Soichiro reassured the elderly man. "After all, Ryuuzaki is our best chance of finding Kira, and the sooner we find this B, the better our chances are of finding L unharmed."

"Yes," Light murmured, speaking for the first time since they had come to the room. He pushed himself out of his chair and went to the window, looking out at the lights of Tokyo. The thought that Ryuuzaki-L- his friend was out there, helpless at the hands of a psychopath with an unnatural obsession for him worried and angered him.

_Damn it, Ryuuzaki. Why couldn't you have been more careful?_

"Watari, what does this Beyond Birthday look like?" Light ventured to ask and behind him, his father nodded.

"That information would be helpful. I know we can't put out a missing person's report for Ryuuzaki, and putting an active warrant out for Beyond's arrest would most likely spook him into hiding, but if we could at least get a  
picture of Beyond, it would help," Soichiro said.

Watari sighed. "Beyond's obsession with L has driven him to take on L's appearance- quite thoroughly, too, I may add. For all intents and purposes, Beyond looks exactly like L, acts exactly like him, and has even adopted his way of speaking and mannerisms. The only way one would be able to tell Beyond Birthday from L was to look at his eyes- Beyond has red eyes, the only feature that distinguishes him from L."

Light felt a shudder run down his spine at the thought of red eyes. Red eyes- where had he heard that before? It seemed so familiar, like the fragment of a dream that he couldn't quite grasp. Shaking it off, though, he instead said, "So, for all intents and purposes, we're looking for L himself?"

Watari nodded. "Yes."

Light didn't respond, only dimly heard Aizawa and Matsuda questioning Watari further about this Beyond Birthday, gathering information to build a profile of the killer. He didn't pay any attention, his eyes instead sweeping over the cityscape laid out in front of him, seeing the bright lights and blurs of the cars that made up the late-night traffic. His friend could be anywhere out in the city, at the hands of a killer who could be doing unspeakable things to him that moment.

The thought made him grit his teeth and clench his fists in anger.

_L… where are you?_

* * *

Edited version uploaded 4/6/13


	2. The Better to Rescue You With

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviwers- please, continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

**At an unknown place, an undeterminable amount of time later…**

"Ah, I see that it's working. K really was a genius, wasn't she, pet?"

A pitiful snarl was all Beyond got in return, slowly lowering to a whine as the effects of the drug he had just administered began taking effect. "God… no more, Beyond. This… this isn't right… Whatever you hope to accomplish…. It's wrong…"

Beyond shook his head in annoyance, turning away from the strapped-down figure on the table to pick up a syringe and fill it with more pearlescent liquid from a glass bottle. "Too slow. The effects aren't fast enough- obviously, the dosage needs to be upped. It's not seeping into the DNA fast enough."

L began to struggle, rebelling against the bonds that held him down, but they would not give.

"Hush, now," Beyond croonedsoftly , stepping forwards and injecting the substance into his subject's arm. Immediately, L went limp, a glazed look beginning to steal into his eyes, an odd yellow glint beginning to show in the grey of his irises.

Beyond set the syringe aside and reached out to gently run his hands through L's fluffy black hair, trailing down to feel the tips of L's ears. He grinned pleasedly when he felt the tips had started turning more pointed, morphing into what he wanted them to be.

"It's alright, Lawli," Beyond murmured, "You'll soon cease to think of right and wrong- you won't have to worry about that any more. I'll teach you, never fear. You'll be the perfect pet…"

* * *

**A year later….**

"Light, Light!" Matsuda was yelling his name as he ran into the room, flushed, sweaty, and out of breath.

Swiveling around in his chair, Light removed his headset and looked at Matsuda, cocking an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"We've found him."

Light's eyes widened, his fingers gripping the arms of the chair a split second before swiftly standing up, discarding his suit's jacket over the top of his chair. He sped out of the room, followed by Matsuda, tugging the tie around his throat loose as he did so.

"Details, Matsuda!"

"Our report details a red-eyed, Caucasian male with dark hair entering and leaving a warehouse on the edge of the city every night for the past few months. His description fits Beyond's exactly, and we think that he's holding L captive there."

Light nodded, mind rapidly running through procedures, heart starting to race. Had they finally found L? After all these months, could it possibly be? "Have the team suit up- I want them fully dressed in protective gear. Watari said this guy's dangerous, and I don't know what sort of stunts he's going to pull. I want them mobile- have an ambulance on-site, arrival set for after we arrive, in case. I want nothing left to chance. Good, Matsuda? Now, go!"

Matsuda nodded and rushed off, heading to alert the team about Light's orders.

Light himself, observing with satisfaction the haste in which Matsuda was making, quickly ran into the locker room and stripped out of his suit, dressing in standard SWAT gear, complete with a Kevlar vest and full protective gear. He pulled his handgun out of his locker and strapped it to his waist, shoved his secondary weapon-his knife- into his black boot, and hefted his standard-issue semi-automatic gun over his shoulder, slamming his locker shut and rushing out.

Light was not really one for using force- he hated guns as much as L had, but after the kidnapping, he had become paranoid and always had a weapon on his person, and had invested in body armor and guns for all of the Task Members, in the event of something like this.

While L had been hard to get along with, him being a workaholic bastard and all, he had never wished something like this upon the infuriating man. L had been his boss, his partner- hell, L was L, the world's greatest detective, his idol since L had fist gained the title, and actually considered him some sort of a friend.

L didn't deserve to be kidnapped and in most likely possibilities, tortured, by an obsessive psychopath whose sole intent was to capture and break L.

No one deserved that.

Light was broken out of his thoughts by sudden sirens, and he looked up to see he was in the garage already, the transport cars already up and running, the Task force geared and suited up in gear similar to his. Aizawa was opening a box, handing out headsets and radios to everyone, and Light accepted his, slipping it on.

"Alright," he said, addressing all of them. "Load up- hopefully the report was accurate and Beyond's in there, and we can retrieve L. You know your teams- we'll do a radio check on the way there. I and Matsuda will enter the warehouse first- on my signal, Aizawa and Soichiro will come in, with Watari as sniper on a nearby roof. We have police helicopters and cars on-call in the area, as back-up in case something goes wrong. They're not in sight, so Beyond won't know we'll be coming. Objective is to retrieve L at any costs, and Beyond, dead or alive- I don't care which. Everyone set? Alright, move!" Light shouted, and within minutes, they were exiting the garage, speeding down the streets and heading straight to the warehouse Matsuda had given directions to.

* * *

The place was silent as they pulled up, and they got out, sneaking to the corner, Matsuda and Light at the front.

A tap on Light's shoulder made him turn around, and he was shocked to see Watari there. "Watari," he hissed, "you're not supposed to be here! Where's our sniper?"

"Soichiro is taking my place," Watari whispered back, "and I will be taking Matsuda's. L was my ward for many years," Watari continued, cutting Light off as it seemed as he was about to speak, "and I failed him by allowing Beyond to get his hands on him. I owe it to him to be one of the ones getting him out of there. It does not matter what happens to me, as long as L is brought out safely."

Light was about to speak, when Matsuda turned back to them. "I understand. Light, it's only right. I'll switch places with him." He and Watari switched, and Light just shook his head.

"Whatever. Let's just get this done. The sooner we get L out of there, the better. Watari, let's go. Matsuda, Aizawa, on my signal, be ready to get in there."

Then, he and Watari slid around the side and snuck into the warehouse.

It was cold in there, due to the fact that it was fall, there was no heating in the abandoned space, and it was almost pitch black. The darkness, the silence was eerie, and Light covertly switched the light on top of his gun on, Watari following his lead.

They slunk deeper into the warehouse, all senses alert, until they found a trapdoor hidden in the corner. A few more sweeps of the ground floor revealed nothing except some steps leading up to the rotting second floor and some empty crates, so Watari got to work opening it while Light radioed in to Aizawa.

"This is Light, Aizawa. We've found a trapdoor leading to a deeper level, located in the far right corner of the warehouse. Watari and I are going down- come inside and position yourselves near the trapdoor, in case we need  
backup."

"Copy, Light. Moving in."

With that, Light cut off the communications and turned back to Watari, who had forced the door open and was waiting for Light to give the okay.

Hefting his gun, he made sure it was primed and ready before nodding to Watari and started to descend down the steps silently, Watari following closely behind.

* * *

Below, ears perked up, a head swiveling to turn in the direction the intruders were coming from. A low, throaty growl echoed from a chest, warning and threatening, only stopping when the hand running through black hair grasped it and jerked only slightly, as a reprimand.

"Not yet, pet," a cold voice whispered. "We don't want to give away our location. Let them come, and then you may get your revenge on Kira."

The growling ceased, although pale lips still curled in a grimace over pale, ivory fangs. A body tensed with anticipation, as it heard the glee in its master's voice, knowing instinctively what was to happen. As soon as master gave the signal, the hunt would be on.

* * *

"Shit," Light hissed, as he stumbled over a rock, almost losing his footing. He was only saved by Watari, whose hand shot out to grasp the back of Light's Kevlar vest and jerk him upright, saving him from falling and sending the various crates and other paraphernalia rattling to the ground.

Light heaved a sigh. "Thanks," he whispered, and he saw Watari nod out of the corner of his eye. Taking a breath, Light continued on, keeping a more watchful eye on the ground this time.

They had been walking for an upwards of about 5 minutes, and from what Light had observed, the basement was a narrow tunnel, about the span of 5 men and the height of one and a half, hewed out of rock and lined with crates, shelves, and other things that looked like discarded clothing, packaged food, weapons, and-what was most disturbing- medical equipment, along with many syringes filled with a white, pearlescent liquid that looked like no sort of drug, medical or illegal, that he had ever seen.

It sent dread twisting into Light's gut, and if the intake of breath from Watari slightly behind him and at his side was to go by, he felt the same dread that Light did.

_God, L, I hope you're okay_.

* * *

Footsteps were heard, getting closer, and a growled whine was let out, partly warning, partly begging. The hunt was near, was sensed, and an eagerness was being made known.

The hand let off stroking black hair, and cold, firm hands drew the body up, turning to point at the direction the sounds were coming from.

"Go, my pet," that feared-loved-hated-craved voice whispered. "Make me proud and bring them back."

Lips curling in an eager, predatory grin at the permission to indulge in the hunt, it loped off, on swift and silent feet, blending into the darkness that permeated the shadows.

* * *

"Shhh," Watari whispered behind Light, stopping suddenly. "Did you hear that?"

Light stopped, listening for a second. They had been walking for another 15 or 20 minutes, walking slowly to make sure that they didn't miss sweeping any part of the tunnel.

"Hear wha-?" Light started to ask, but whipped around as a muted thud was heard, and saw Watari crumpling to the ground, swiftly being drug into the shadows, behind a large crate.

"Watari!" Light rushed to the crate, seeing Watari's feet round the corner, but by the time Light got around the crate, to the other side, the older man was nowhere to be seen.

_Shit!_

Light backed away, his gun gripped with steady, if not slightly nervous hands, senses alert and eyes scanning the sides around him swiftly. That didn't stop as he reached up to press the button to his communicator. "Aizawa, come in. Watari's been- I don't know, he just disappeared. Right in front of my eyes, he disappeared. I'm not sure what happened, but Beyond must have set a trap, and-"

Light was cut off as something cold and hard pressed to the back of his head, knowing instinctively what it was.

Raising his hands, Light let his gun fall to hand loosely against his body, kept on by the strap around his neck. "I'm not armed right now," Light said, referring to his surrendering stance. "I don't know what you want, Beyond, but-"

Once again, Light was cut off as Beyond, who was behind him, didn't say a word, but simply jabbed him in the back of the head with his gun, a signal to start walking.

And Light did.

* * *

They walked for a while, Beyond totally silent behind him, which unnerved Light. As a psychopath that had his enemy at his mercy, shouldn't Beyond be gloating, at least? The silence was dreadful, yet Light kept walking, the steady pressure of the gun pointed at his head a constant threat.

Finally, the tunnel narrowed out and an opening was seen, through which there was light able to be seen, the only part of the place that was lit.

Light blinked as they went through the door-sized opening, the room beyond it opening to a large, circular room. A bed was on one side, large, covered with red bedcovers and large plush pillows. A table with two chairs was set in the middle, and dressers and tables on the other side of the room. And right in the middle, Light saw something that made his eyes widen in shock.

In the middle of the room, seated in a large, throne-like chair, sat Beyond Birthday, a smug, sadistic smile upon his face and red eyes gleaming bright in the light of the lamps hung at regular intervals within the room.

And if that was Beyond in front of him, then that meant that either Beyond had a minion on hand, or-

Light refused to finish that thought. Watari had said that Beyond Birthday was one of the only people L truly feared in the world. There was no way L would ever do something like this for Beyond, even upon pain of torture. He knew L- the detective was too stubborn to side with one of his enemies, even if he was being tortured.

"Ah, hello Light," Beyond suddenly said as Light was forced to halt a few feet in front of the reclining Beyond by a harsh jerk on the back of his vest. "I have to say, you being here comes as no surprise. Pesky Light, what shall we do with you?"

"You sick psycho," Light hissed, narrowing his amber eyes at the psychopath in front of him. "Where's L? You said that you wouldn't kill him!"

Beyond chuckled, dark and amused, as if he held the punch line to a joke only he knew. His eyes shifted to a point just behind Light, and he grinned. "You can let him go now, pet. Come here to me."

As Light felt the barrel of the gun remove itself from the back of his head, Beyond focused back onto Light, his red lips twisting into a sick grin. "You won't go anywhere, will you, Light? I don't think you'd leave without your precious L, would you?"

"What do you mean?" Light asked, but his question trailed off as he saw someone walk around from behind him, towards Beyond.

Someone with black hair, dressed in full black gear, and walking with a familiar slouch.

But it couldn't be who he thought it was. The person he wanted this one to be couldn't be the one wielding an automatic heavy assault rifle, walking towards the man he professed to hate and fear, and that had potentially captured and delivered his caretaker and now friend to the man that was his enemy.

And-

Light's eyes widened as his eyes caught details about the man he thought could possibly be his friend, but in no way could. It wasn't possible, there was no way-

"What the hell have you done to him, you sick fuck?" he choked out.

For as he watched, the man that he thought was L reached Beyond's side. With practiced comfort he stepped to straddle Beyond's lap, bringing his hands up to rest on dark-clad shoulders and rest his cheek against Beyond's, letting him catch a glimpse of appendages that no human should have.

That his friend should not have.

Beyond grinned, reaching up to run a hand through spikey black hair, where furry, pointed ears stuck out, colored black- the same color as the bushy, black tail wagging lazily, protruding out of the back of L's spine.

"I simply took him and made him better," Beyond responded lazily, scratching the mass of black spikes, a low rumble reaching Light's ears as the action continued. "I, using K's leftover notes, found a way to bind an animal's DNA to a human's. It gave them that animal's instincts, as well as a few other advantages- a tail for better balance and quicker recovery reflexes, a wolf's ears for better hearing, the eyes for better seeing, and a wolf's sense of  
smell, to name a few among many changes."

"Of course," Beyond continued, frowning now, "there were a few disadvantages- the process completely replaced the subject's human intelligence, leaving them with an animal's instincts and thought process. Of course, the starting intelligence of the human subject determined how intelligent they would be once the adjustment to their body had been made, and L is one of the smartest subjects I've been able to do- he's the most perfect specimen I've created, able to understand and complete simple tasks- anything I ask, he does."

"I've made him perfect," Beyond stated, grinning evilly. "I've gotten him right where I want him- the great L, broken, beaten and at my beck and call, the perfect servant. It' so pleasing, to see the man that everyone wanted to have, to possess, to even _see_, now groveling to me. A would be pleased."

Light had only felt his rage grow at Beyond's sick words, and as soon as the psychopath stated that he had broken L-his friend, his rival, his idol, something within him snapped. With a growl, he grabbed up his gun, aiming it  
right at Beyond.

At the sound, L's head swiveled, and Light froze at seeing the changes inflicted upon his friend for the first time. The black ears poking out of the mess of black spikes were more noticeable from the frontal view, and pale lips  
curled back to showcase long, ivory fangs that were definitely unnatural, and definitely made for tearing into flesh. Large eyes, still wide and black, were narrowed, the warm ring of grey that usually surrounded the black no longer grey but a feral, hostile yellow, now focused on him.

The rumble of L's growl turned from low and pleased to decidedly loud and threatening, his eyes focused solely on Light.

"I wouldn't do that, Light," Beyond said lazily. He stopped petting L, and pushed the detective off of him, the man sliding onto his feet with a predatory grace unnatural for the hunched man. Unnatural for his friend. "Subdue him, L," Beyond ordered, and then settled back.

Light was unprepared for how fast L had become; even from the beginning, the detective had been stronger and faster than his lanky frame had let on, but the messing Beyond had done with his DNA had obviously changed that, making him even faster.

In a second, Light's gun was discarded, and Light was pushed against the wall, a gloved hand pressing his throat to the wall tightly, and Light could feel the point of sharp claws pressing against the cloth of the gloves.

Staring into L's eyes, he saw only cold, animal-like intelligence. There was none of his friend in there, in those burning yellow-ringed eyes, and Light felt despair overtake him. "L, you've got to fight whatever Beyond has done to you," Light choked out, feeling his airway being slowly constricted, and in desperation said, with his last bit of breath, "It's Light- I was your first friend, remember? Come back, L!"

* * *

Dimly, through L's consciousness, something familiar niggled at his brain.

There was the overwhelming urge to do as his master said, to simply drag this human back and throw him to the ground at his master's feet, to get the approval of his master.

But something else told him to try to listen to what the amber-haired man was saying, for some reason. And this conflict of feelings, so foreign and unknown, shocked him enough to make him freeze. He had never once heard any voice telling him to disobey his master's orders. Not once.

There was never any reason to; disobeying his master led to pain, while listening led to him being praised and rewarded.

So he concentrated, listening to what the human in front of him had to say.

"L, you've got to fight whatever Beyond has done to you!"

L- his name. he knew that, had heard it before in so many contexts, that he knew whether or not to cower when his master said it in an angry or disappointed tone, or to come and be rewarded happily when he said it in a pleased tone. But never once had he heard it said the way this human did, with desperation, sadness, despair, and –longing? The mess of emotions contained within the choice that uttered his name confused him, confused him enough to make him listen to what else the human was saying.

And Beyond- his master's name. Did the human want him to betray his master? That wouldn't happen; the idiot human didn't know what his master would do to him if he let the human go!

"It's Light- I was your first friend, remember? Come back, L!"

Light…Light….Light.

Why did that seem familiar?

The word tugged at his brain, making him recall things that had been long buried. But why were they surfacing now, of all times?

Light.

"You're my first friend, Light."

Light.

Sharing a computer, working together in comfortable silence on something. The comfort he had felt with this person was one he had never felt with another before.

Light.

Suspicion. He suspected this person of something, although he didn't want to. Light was his friend.

Light…Light…

His friend. Light…His suspect. Light… Kira. …Light. The investigation. Light. The task force. Light. Kidnapping. Light!

"Look at me, L! Come back!"

Gasping, L felt his memories return, and he looked into blazing amber eyes, desperate and despairing.

Light!

"Light…" L rasped, feeling his vocal chords burn as they were used for human speech for the first time in a little under a year.

* * *

"Look at me, L! Come back!" Light rasped out desperately, seeing the confusion and hesitation flicker in the feral yellow eyes, no longer so feral, but more confused.

They wavered for a second, dropping for a brief moment, then raised once more, and when they met Light's own, they were warm grey again, confused and scared, but that warm, familiar color once more.

Light felt a wave of something- relief, joy, and another odd feeling- spread through him as L's grip on his throat loosened to allow him to breathe, and the pale lips opened, to allow a single word out.

"Light…" the usually monotonous voice was hoarse and scratchy, but the sound of the long-missed voice of his friend sent joy through Light.

"That's right, L. It's Light, your friend. We've come to take you back."

"NO!"

Beyond's voice cut through the room, and the two men turned to see Beyond striding towards them, anger burning in his eyes. "Bring him to me, L. I am your master!"

Light's desperate gaze returned to L, whose own eyes were passing between Light and Beyond's, flickering between the feared yellow, and the familiar grey. They finally settled on yellow, and the crushing grip returned as Beyond's training kicked in, L's natural response to obey the man that had become his master. He growled at Light, L's upper lip curling in a fanged sneer as his animal instincts, hardwired into him by Beyond, overtook his mind, pushing his human consciousness to the back.

Beyond stopped upon seeing this and watched, waiting for L.

"No, L," Light choked out. "You remember, right? I know you do! You hated Beyond, remember? He kidnapped you, forced you to live here with him while he did such horrendous things to you. The L I knew-_know_- wouldn't allow himself to be treated like this, like an animal. Fight his control, L," Light whispered desperately.

"L!" Beyond called impatiently, beginning to get annoyed with L's resistance. "Bring him here!" He started forwards once more, intent on forcing L to obey him.

Light shook his head shakily. "Don't do it- listen to me, your friend, not Beyond."

L's gaze flickered between Light and the ground, as if battling within his own mind, until slowly, he looked back at Beyond with unsure, confused eyes, then back at Light, to Beyond once more, and Light again.

"Yes… No," L whispered raspily, drawing back slowly, shakily. His crushing grip on Light's windpipe slackened as his hand drew back, and Light gasped for breath, reaching up to rub his sore throat.

Warily, he watched L, not sure what was going to happen next. It was frightening, seeing the usually stoic detective so unsure and out of control, and Light was all at once captivated by the now animated face, even if what he saw in the face of his friend scared and thrilled him at the same time.

L's eyes still flickered between the feared yellow and warm grey as twoconsciousnesses-animal and human- warred within his mind for dominance. His furry ears twitched, back and forth, as if they were listening to two separate people that only L could hear. "I don't know…what is right… I don't know…I don't know!" he howled, sinking to the ground, clasping his gloved hands over his ears, bending them into uncomfortable angles, but uncaring of it in his desperate attempt to block out the two battling voices.

He needed… they needed to go away, to stop screaming for him to bring Light to master, and to go with Light at the same time. It was confusing, and frightening, and he wasn't used to dissent within his own mind, couldn't handle the two warring, separate voices. He couldn't take it- he wanted to claw his ears off, to rip something apart, to rip everything apart in an attempt to get rid of the voices, and God, they just needed to stop!

_Take him to master! _

_No! He's your friend!_

_Don't listen!_

_Don't listen!_

_Deceiver!_

_Liar!_

_Fool!_

He knelt there, frozen, eyes shut tight and eyelids quivering. "The voices," L whispered, "the voices- make it go away. It tells me to bring you to him, Light, to master, and I want to listen so badly… I need to…no…make it stop."

"It's telling you to listen because I am your master," Beyond said angrily. Stopping in front of L, he drew the limp detective up, off the ground, grasping the altered man by the throat and drawing him up to face level. Red eyes bored into flickering grey-yellow ones, and L hung limp in Beyond's unnaturally strong grip.

"Will you listen to me?" Beyond whispered to L.

There was a moment of frozen silence, as Light held his breath, fearing that L would say yes, but then, L hesitantly shook his head. "You feel wrong," L whispered raspily. "Malicious, dark, dangerous. I sense it. You're rotting, corrupted. I can't listen to you, no matter how much it's screaming for me to."

Beyond's face twisted into a snarl, and he spat, "Then you're of no use to me. You're a failure, L," he hissed, and then in his anger, tossed L away from him.

L hit the wall with a thud, the back of his head impacting with a sharp cracking noise, along with the odd sound of what sounded like plastic shattering, and he slid to the floor and slumped onto the ground on his side, limp and unmoving.

"Such a disappointment," Beyond sighed, glaring at L's limp form, then turned back to Light, unsurprised when he saw that Light had gotten ahold of his gun once more, and was now pointing it right at Beyond's head, cocked and loaded. "Don't move, you sicko," Light growled, flickering his eyes over to L for a moment before returning them to Beyond.

"Beyond Birthday, you're under arrest for the charge of kidnapping and holding person against their will, torture and unauthorized medical experiments on a non-consenting person, and multiple, innumerous counts of first-degree murder."

Beyond raised an eyebrow, smiling as quick as a flash, he raised his arm and had a handgun pointed at Light's head before he had a chance to see what Beyond was doing. "That's where you're wrong, Light," Beyond sneered. "I'm not going with you- you're going to let me walk out of here with L, or I blow your head off. You've undone a year of progress, of training and programming of L, and now I have to start all over. Do you know how long it took me to get him to where he was before you had to go and mess with his mind?" Beyond growled, his arm now shaking as he tried to hold in the rage that overtook him at the thought of all  
his progress gone. "It took me months to lock away his memories, and I need to get started as soon as possible reprogramming him before it's too late. So you're going to put that gun down, step aside, and let me go, or so help me, I'll kill L and then-"

"I think not," a familiar voice came right before a thunk was heard and Beyond crumpled to the ground, his gun clattering to the floor as the psycho fell, revealing the angry form of Watari. He held his gun butt-first, which he  
had used to hit Beyond over the head, knocking the psycho unconscious.

"Watari!" Light cried, putting the safety on on his gun and letting it fall back around his neck, rushing forwards to help the older man, who had knelt and was clasping a pair of handcuffs around Beyond's wrists. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Watari replied, shaking his head. "I was hit over the head and when I came to, I was lying in this room, off to the far side behind a table." He looked up then, Beyond safely secured, and glanced over towards L, his eyes taking on a sorrowful cast. "I heard enough- we need to get L out of here and tested to see just what sort of sick experiments Beyond performed on him. K was a piece of work herself, but she lacked the… creativity Beyond did. I shudder to think what they could have come up together. K, at least, still had some limitations-Beyond has none, especially when it comes to L. There's no telling what he could have done with his hands on K's notes and none of her influence to hold him back from the edge of true immoral experimentation."

Light nodded. "If you'll get Beyond, I'll get L. I'll radio the rest of the team and tell them to get the ambulance here and have them ready to transport L back to the Headquarters. Beyond threw L hard, and he might have a concussion or something worse. We'll need to run tests on him as well, and I'll also tell the team to have our doctor updated on things and ready to treat L when we get back. The holding cell will also need to be prepared- I'll send Matsuda back to do that," Light told Watari as the older man lifted Beyond's lanky form up and heftedhim over his shoulder.

Watari nodded. "Of course. If you don't mind, I'll go ahead in case Beyond wakes up, and oversee things at headquarters. If L regains consciousness, make sure that he doesn't move around until we've determined that his spine and head are uninjured," Watari instructed Light, then turned and made his way out of the room as Light crossed swiftly to L's side, kneeling and gently rolling the altered detective over.

Light sucked in a breath at seeing the trickle of blood that had tracked down from the back of L's head to trail down the side of his neck, and worry invaded Light as thoughts of what could happen if something t]like this, if it was bad like he feared, was left untreated. And seeing his friend in such a situation… Anger filled him at the thought that if it wasn't for Beyond, he and L might still be working in comfortable companionship back the he Headquarters, and he cursed under his breath.

No one treated his friend like this. Beyond would pay, if he and no doubt Watari had anything to say about this.

Nevertheless, he pushed aside those thoughts for the moment and gently slid his arms under L's slim form, lifting up the light body and cradling it, taking a moment to get situated as he stood up. He shifted L's weight to his one arm for a moment to adjust L's head to rest against his chest, on his shoulder so that it would jostle around, and crossed L's arms over the detective's chest so that they wouldn't dangle and jar his spine with the motions of Light's gait.

Then, he shifted the detective's form back into both arms, shaking his head for a second as a black-furred ear brushed right under his nose, and spikes of feathery hair tickled under his chin. Frowning, Light absentmindedly reached down to brush the irritant under his nose away, but drew it away as quickly as if it had been burnt when the sensitive ear twitched at the rough touch.

Staring down at the form of his altered friend for a moment, Light couldn't help but feel a wave of uncertainty wash through him as he thought about all that L had been through, and what the detective had become in the year in Beyond's hands.

_Things are never going to be the same between us, are they? _Light thought sadly, sighing before shifting L so that the ears wouldn't tickle his nose and then started down the tunnel, making sure to make his gait smooth as possible to avoid jolting L.

* * *

Light squinted as he exited the warehouse, the bright light burning his eyes for a few seconds before they got adjusted. The ambulance was just pulling up, and as soon as Aizawa and Matsuda spotted him, they rushed forwards, intent on helping him.

Shit, what were they going to say when they saw L?

Light thought fast and shifted L once more so that his ears and facial features were unseeable to the men coming towards him.

"Light!" Matsuda exclaimed as they neared him, "Watari wouldn't tell us anything other than that you found L. Beyond's already being transported to the Headquarters. Is that L? Is he alright? What happened in there?" Matsuda fired off the questions at a rapid pace, Aizawa adding his own version of the same questions in his usual blunt manner.

"Not right now, Matsuda," Light replied, intent on getting L to the ambulance that was just parking, paramedics already exiting the vehicle and running towards them. "I'll explain alter. Just- don't say anything, alright? I'll explain when we get back," Light had time to say before the paramedics got there.

"Is this the injured man?" the first paramedic said, a taller man with shoulder-length black hair. He had intense brown eyes, totally focused on his job.

Light nodded. "Has Watari already told you?" Light questioned the man, and he inclined his head.

"Yes. Head wound, get him to the address given and stabilize his head and spine. Don't ask any questions about the patient, and don't tell anything to anyone. My team and I have worked with Watari for years, whenever he and his charge came to Japan, and we've never let him down before. You can trust us- we've signed a confidentiality agreement," the man said with a reassuring smile.

"My name is Nemushita Yokoro, by the way," Yokoro continued as he looked over his shoulder, gesturing for the stretcher that was being set up by his two other teammates. He then turned back forwards, seeing L's body in Light's arms. "And this man, I've seen before as well. We had to treat him a few times, when he got into bad situations." As he reached out to take L from Light, Yokoro's eyebrows raised upon seeing the altered detective. "However, this man, I've never seen in a state like this before."

Light tensed, and Yokoro shrugged, striding towards the stretcher that was approaching them. "But, Watari pays us to treat first and ask questions never, so I won't ask."

Light relaxed, nodding in thanks, then with one last glance to L's form, turned away to climb into his waiting car, where Aizawa was already behind the wheel, waiting to drive them back to the Task Force building.

* * *

Edited version uploaded 4/6/13


	3. The Better to Enrage You With

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviwers- please, continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Light strode through the halls of the building, Watari right behind him.

"Where's L?" Light asked, peeling off his gloves with his teeth and unzipping his Kevlar vest. The body armor could become heavy at times, almost stifling, and Light wanted it off.

And then he wanted to see L.

"We had to put him into a cell- one of the solitary confinement ones," Watari explained, but then froze as Light whipped around, ripping the glove out of his mouth.

"You did what?" Light exclaimed. "Why?!"

Watari shook his head, ignoring Light's anger. "He was a danger to himself and others, Light. We had to lock him up for his own safety. Beyond has altered his mind as well as his DNA- there's something not right with him anymore, and until we find out what it is, or until Beyond deigns to tell us, we need to keep L restrained."

Light's grip on the glove in his hand tightened, and narrowing cold amber eyes, he reached out to hold his hand out, open with the palm facing up. "The keys to the cell. Give them to me," Light bit out, infuriated at the thought of L, his friend, being locked up like a common animal. He had already went through that at Beyond's hands for a full year. L didn't deserve to go through any more, damnit!

Watari didn't move for a second, instead searching Light's angry eyes, before nodding at the unyielding determination he saw within them. Sighing, Watari withdrew the key to the cell and reluctantly dropped it into Light's awaiting hand. "His cell is B1," Watari murmured, Light already turning to walk away.

Then, a thought stuck the older man, and he called out, "Light! Do you want to interrogate Beyond Birthday for more information?"

Light stopped, Watari's words making him think for a moment. Thoughtfully, he looked down a the small silver key glinting in his hands. Interrogate doubly meant "torture until the subject gives up vital information," and even though the subject was Beyond Birthday, the sick bastard that had experimented upon and possibly have ruined L, Light still found he couldn't condone torture.

"No," Light replied, shaking his head with conviction, starting to walk away again. "Torture is wrong, no matter who the person in question is. Leave Beyond Birthday be- he'll be going to trial soon enough, and we can question him later- not interrogate, question, understand?"

* * *

The trip to L's cell didn't take very long, and Light frowned as he saw cell B1- it was a total solitary confinement room, with no bars or windows, soundproof walls, and a metal door with a handprint scanner as its only way in and out. After L had been captured and Light appointed as the new L, all the technology and locks in the building had been re-set to Light's command- the retina scanners, voice identification, handprint scanners, all of those kinds of locks were set to admit Light entrance and no one else.

The fact that Watari had felt the need to put L into this cell, though, disturbed Light. What could have provoked this?

With some trepidation, Light placed a slightly trembling hand to the scanner and it flashed once, scanning his hand, then beeped in acceptance. There was a loud click and a hiss as the locks and bolts sealing the door came undone.

Taking a breath to steel himself for the sight of seeing what his friend had become, Light grasped the door, pulled it open, and then pulled it shut behind him, hearing it click locked once more, safe and secure.

* * *

Nothing Light had seen of L thus far could have prepared him for the sight that met his eyes in that room.

Disbelieving eyes locked onto the altered form of L on the opposite side of the room, next to the wall.

His body was in a straightjacket, a small and thin, yet strong chain wrapping around the jacket to secure to more tightly. His clawed hands poked out of the jacket, but the fingers were coated with clay, hard plastic gloves holding the material in place so that he could do no damage with his claws. L wore no shoes, revealing unnaturally long feet, styled much like the back feet of a wolf, and Light could only guess that his feet were clawed as well, because his toes had been covered in the same way that his hands had. L's black-clad legs were wrapped in the same strong, thin chain that covered his torso, prohibiting any movement other than the bending or straightening of his legs.

L was hunched over, totally silent and still, and from where he was standing, Light could see the back of L's neck where his black hair had parted to the side, and saw that a thin metal collar had been placed high around L's neck. A chain ran from his collar to midway down the back of the straightjacket, presumably to keep L from bending his head forwards and clawing at his bonds with the wickedly sharp canines Light had spotted earlier.

Light swallowed, the only sound in the suddenly eerily silent room, and other than a minor twitch of L's pointy black ear, the detective didn't move.

Unsettled, Light stepped forwards cautiously, and did so again when the detective still didn't move. Not a twitch was seen from black ears, the tail that Light suddenly noticed was lying limp on the ground, or a rattle from the  
numerous chins binding him that signaled a muscle move.

"L?" Light called out cautiously, now only a few feet away from the detective. "L? Are you alright?"

Still not a movement, and Light was becoming worried as well as extremely disturbed.

_Something's not right… _Light thought, and cautiously, now that he had moved close enough, he moved out to gently touch L's shoulder-

Only to draw back with a surprised curse as L suddenly snapped his head up and to the side, attempting to bite Light's hand. L missed, only grazing the side of Light's hand, and a loud snap was heard as the crushingly sharp teeth met.

Furious at missing his prey, L looked up- and Light gasped.

A depraved anger burned within L's eyes, any trace of warm humanness gone, instead replaced by wolfish yellow ones that showed no sign of anything but an animal's killing instincts. L growled, a deep, threatening rumble that was so similar to a wolf's that it raised the hairs on the back of Light's neck.

"L?" Light whispered. "L, what happened to you?"

He tried reaching out once more, but recoiled as L's head shot forward, trying to bite at Light's hand again. Light withdrew once more, only to watch, frozen with incredulity and shock, as L thrashed around, growling and  
snarling, lips curled over gleaming white canines.

Mixed feelings of despair and anger overwhelmed Light as he slowly stepped back, L slowly stopping his thrashing until Light was right at the door. The detective only glared balefully at Light, lips still curled up in their  
frightening grimace, feral eyes never leaving Light even as he reached behind him to trigger the unlocking mechanism.

They never left Light, even as the younger detective backed out of the room.

It wasn't until the door slid shut in front of Light's eyes, finally blocking the detective from sight, that Light blinked and released a shuddering sigh, resting his form against the wall. Shakily, he lifted his hand, clenched into a fist, to his face, seeing the trembles that he hadn't realized encompassed his entire form.

He was… angry, Light realized.

Angry and terrified and despairing at what his friend had become, at what his friend was.

At the hands of Beyond Birthday.

Letting out a growl of his own, Light slammed his hand to the side of him, hitting the wall with an almost bruising force. "Fuck!"

"Sir?"

Light looked up to see Watari standing patiently, calmly in front of him. "Is there anything you require, sir?"

The older man's words held a double meaning, and Light steeled himself for what he was about to do. Standing up, he curtly nodded. "Yes. Bring the interrogation kit to Beyond's cell. I'll meet you there shortly," Light said, already turning to the elevator.

Watari nodded. "Sir, the key…?"

Light shook his head, feeling the small key that he had put into his pants pocket. "I'll keep it with me, Watari."

"But sir, after seeing him like that, you cannot possibly be thinking of releasing him?!"

"No, I won't," Light said. "But I'll keep it with me. Just in case… Just in case his state changes."

* * *

He kept growling, even after the brown-furred human had left. This human had a different feel to him than the black-furred human that had kept him until recently.

This one felt more trustworthy, and almost familiar, but a well-deserved fear of the other race had left no room for second chances; the black-furred human had scarred him for life.

However, the black-furred one held sway over him; he was the alpha of their pack, and so he had had no choice but to defer to him for fear of more pain.

This brown-furred human, however, held no such sway, and as such, he felt no need to allow the human into his personal space. He was dominant, now that his alpha was gone, and made sure the other human knew it.

* * *

Light entered Beyond's cell with little ceremony, only sliding his hands into plastic gloves and stepping over to the table where Watari was waiting, the interrogation materials spread out on the table.

Beyond was strapped to a metal chair bolted into the ground, and was watching the proceedings with sick amusement glinting in his eyes as he surveyed the instruments. "I take it you've seen L?" Beyond laughed, receiving only silence in return.

"Ah, you must have. He's probably not in very good condition, is he?" Beyond enquired, a sick little smile tugging on the edges of his red lips. "After what happened to his brain… no, I suspect his humanity has been lost now. Too bad, so sad-but oh, well," Beyond sighed, shrugging, though the little smile remained.

The only response he was geiven in return was Light casually lighting up a blowtorch, then setting it off to the side. The caramel-haired detective then turned to Beyond, a cold detachedness making his amber eyes hard. "You're going to tell me what you did to L, and how to fix him, or I take all these," Light gestured to the various things on the table, "and apply them to you." His voice was hard and unrelenting- though Beyond doubted teh boy would go through with his threat. He looked too pretty and refined to actually go through with such a dark threat.

Beyond only shook his head, cackling. "Reveal my secrets? I don't think so, pretty. Why would I want you reprogramming L, turning him against me after all I've done for him?"

"All you've- you turned him into an animal!" Light shouted, slashing his hand in front of him in anger.

"No," Beyond replied, a maniacal grin taking over his face, "I've made him better- and I've made him mine. The only way L is going to get reprogrammed is if I do it myself."

"Stop talking about him as if he weren't human," Light growled, hand already twitching towards the table.

Beyond smiled crookedly. "But that's the thing, detective- he's not. Not anymore, at least. He's above human, the perfect specimen. All I need to do is tweak certain things, and I'll be able to prevent the wolf's instincts from  
taking over completely. He'll be perfect, if only you would allow me to play with him a bit more. But you'll never let me, and I'll never tell, so this whole farce is useless."

"Enough," Light bit out, enough of hearing L talked about as if he weren't feeling, as if he were just some sort of science experiment. This was his friend, goddamnit, and he'd rip the way to fixing L from Beyond's mouth-figuratively or literally, Light really didn't care which. "I've had enough of your talking."

"Oh, good, is it time to get down to business?" Beyond asked, watching excitedly as Light began sorting through the things on the table, figuring out what to start out with. "Can you start with the knife? It looks like you've  
sharpened it quite marvelously. Of course, it's a shame, you being an amateur at this and all, you probably won't even know how to use it properly…"

"Of course," Light nodded in acquiescence. "But you should know, I learned all my tricks from Watari- and he was an intelligence operative in the Vietnamese War. You wouldn't believe how much they were taught back in those days," Light said almost conversationally, picking up a large, serrated knife and flicking some dust off. "They were actually allowed to train on actual living people-criminals- in those days. Got away with so much more back then. There were no civil rights laws like there are today, and everything was done in absolute secrecy…" Light grinned, twirling the knife as he advanced on Beyond, delighting in the way a fearful gleam overtook Beyond's red eyes.

Obviously, he was expecting Light to not be able to go through with this…

But he had underestimated Light's fierce sense of righteousness and protectiveness towards friends and family. "You'll tell me all you know after I'm through with you," Light promised, and then brought the blade down.

* * *

An hour was all Beyond could take under Light's tender care.

"I'll tell, for God's sake, just STOP!" Beyond shrieked, and Light stepped back, dropping the sixth of Beyond's toenails into the garbage can Watari had conveniently set up.

"You'll answer all my questions truthfully, with no lies?"

"Yes! Just… no more!"

"Alright," Light nodded, pleased. He set the bloody tweezers back on to the table, and then stood in front of the panting, bloody, ragged form of Beyond Birthday. "Tell me everything- what you've done to him, why, and why he's in the state he is now."

And Beyond told.

He spilled everything, from K's findings of what would happen if one mixed animal DNA with a secret solution, and then injected it into a human, how he trained L to be his own personal bodyguard in return for all that he had done to Beyond- it would be the ultimate humiliation, for forcing L to serve the one he hated and not be able to do anything about it, how he had conditioned L- and the secret of the microchip planted in L's brain.

"It negated the effects of the wolf's overriding animalistic instincts," Beyond said. "When it shattered when his head hit the wall, it allowed these instincts to take control. L has no humanity in him- for all intents and purposes, he _is _a wolf, capable only of the animal's thinking processes."

"Why did you cause it to shatter, knowing this would happen?"

"As a way to get you to let me handle him again."

"Is there any way to replicate the microchip?"

"The blueprints are in my warehouse. But," Beyond smirked, "It takes months to create one, simply because the supplies needed are only available in certain places. It was a very sophisticated microchip, one that can completely reprogram a person's brain. It took years for K to develop it, and a few more for me to get it where it is today. It'll take me at least another year or so for me to perfect it, to allow L to completely function as a human once more. But once it is perfected… with that microchip, and the right hard settings, you totally control a person- force a soldier to be unable to kill, or force a Buddhist monk to pillage and rape."

Light growled in frustration. "You're saying L will be like this for months, until we can create our own microchip? Are there any other solutions?"

Beyond grinned. "Well, you could always do what I did- ugh! Fucking shit!" Beyond yelped, wincing. He huffed a sigh, and then glared up at Light. "I forgot about the microchip I planted in myself. It prevents me from saying too much- if I tell you too much about certain things, it causes me pain, and if I persist, it will cause a tiny explosion within my brain, killing me instantly. It was a safety precaution, in case of situations like this. But I can tell you this- look up a wolf's behavioral pattern. L is totally a wolf within his mind, and if you can figure out how he thinks and respond to him like an actual wolf would, you'll be able to control him to some extent."

* * *

Later that night, Light found himself up in his room, an internet search bar opened up, hands unmoving on the keyboard, contemplating.

_He's a mass murderer, a psychopath who kidnapped your friend and experimented on him, for fuck's sake, Light! What are you thinking, listening to him?_ he berated himself.

_But… Beyond's the one who made him this way. He knows what he's talking about, and everything he said made sense, _Light had to admit.

But… something was nagging Light.

What was Beyond's purpose in kidnapping L? He understood the revenge factor, yes. Light knew Beyond hated L, for exactly the purpose Watari had detailed when he first explained Beyond Birthday to him. But if Beyond had truly wanted revenge against L, he could have done it in a multitude of simpler ways- killing L, raping him-

Light stopped the thought right there, shuddering at the thought of something like that happening to L. This was his friend, not some random woman who had been assaulted, and the thought of L having to go through that, along with whatever else Beyond had done to him caused shudders to run up his spine.

But still! What could Beyond possibly have gained from doing something like this, something so elaborate, and not sure if ti would work or not? He didn't seem like one to do things without reason, and simply doing this to L to have him serve as some sort of twisted bodyguard or something served no real purpose.

Light thought over what Beyond had said in the recording the year ago- his perfect memory was able to accurately recall the information word for word. _…by the time I return L to you, he'll be a much better detective…_

If Beyond had truly wanted revenge, why would he want to return L to them?

He thought back to the microchip, remembering Beyond mention one he had implanted in L's brain, and in his own as well. They weren't finished, and Beyond was still working on them….

So many puzzles, but unless Beyond gave them more information, Light couldn't reason them out. Growling in frustration, Light turned back to the computer, deciding to shove the mystery of Beyond's motives to the back of his head for the moment, before he beat his brain to death attempting to figure it out.

The issue of whether to trust Beyond's words regarding how to keep L under control still was at hand, and Light hemmed and hawed over it, wavering between his desperation to help L free of those awful chains, and his distrust of anything that came out of the killer's mouth.

Finally, he compromised. He'd do the research, and then apply it to L. If it worked, then he'd continue to listen to Beyond.

And of it turned out Beyond had lied…

He'd just apply some more of Watari's training to the psycho.

Satisfied with this decision, Light got down to work, immersing himself in the wolf's psyche for the rest of the night.

* * *

Edited version uploaded 4/7/13


	4. The Better to Tame You With

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviwers- please, continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

The next morning, Light strode out of his room and down to the working area of the Kira Task Force with new purpose, armed with information he thought he could use to help keep L under control and get him out of that solitary confinement cell.

The rest of the team was already there, gathered around a screen set in the middle of the table. Light slowed, not knowing what was going on.

"Did you see that? God, I'm glad I'm not the one who had to go in there," Light heard Aizawa say.

"Yeah," Mogi agreed. "He looks pretty bad- those teeth are dangerous."

"What are you doing?" Light asked, coming up behind them, and Matsuda turned, the only one to actually address Light's presence. The others continued watching the screen, enraptured with what was on it.

"Watari sent a worker down with food to L," Matsuda explained sheepishly. "But the worker let L's hands free, and somehow, he was able to get the rest of his body out of his restraints. He went after the worker and tore a chunk right out of his shoulder, and ripped a gash in his chest. Watari had to tranquilize L, or he'd have killed the worker," Matsuda said. "It was kinda scary, seeing L like that, but it was kinda cool, too- you'd have to see it for yourself to understand," he hurriedly added, seeing Light's face darken at his words.

"He's not here for your entertainment," Light said angrily, stepping forwards and unplugging the security feed to the monitor from L's cell. "He's been tortured at the hands of Beyond Birthday, a psychopath with an unhealthy obsession with L and whose mind was filled only with thoughts of revenge. He's not some form of amusement- he's mentally sick, and you should be trying to figure out a way to help him, not gawk at him!"

The rest of the team looked shamed, and Light turned away angrily, seeing Watari there, with a box.

"You have it?" Light asked, mood still sour from telling his team off.

Watari nodded, setting the box down. "I have all that you requested here. I'll admit, I'm not sure where you're wanting to go with this, but if you think it's for the best, then do what you feel is right."

Light nodded, already reaching down and opening the box. "Thank you, Watari," he said, pulling out a black, padded suit with red strips going down the side. The team watched as Light pulled it on, zipping it up, and then reaching into the box once more, pulled out what looked to be like long cuffs. When Light slipped them on, they extended from his wrist to his elbow. He tapped it once with a nail, and the cuff made a loud clicking sound, revealing them to be coated with some sort of hard plastic.

"Light, what are you doing?" Soichiro asked, looking up from his desk from where he had been working. He'd had no interest in watching L, obviously not in his right mind, maul a poor worker almost to death. He'd instead opted to work more on another case. The Kira case had fizzled out a few months ago, after the heart-attacks had simply stopped overnight and showed no sign of continuing. They'd instead moved onto other cases, devoting half of their time looking for L, and the other to solving cases.

It was only Light's sudden angry appearance that had broken Soichiro from his work, and now, he looked up to find his son putting on what looked almost to be a suit that a dog trainer for the K-9 police unit would wear.

"I'm planning on trying to help L," Light responded, slipping into thick boots that were lined with a teeth-stopping rubber lining, a thin, yet strong plastic covering on the top of them. "If I can get him to understand that we're not going to harm him, perhaps he'll become calm enough so that he won't have to be locked up anymore."

"What makes you so confident that what you're going to do will work?" Soichiro questioned.

"Well, Beyond told me that right now, in L's mind, he's a wolf- Beyond altered his mind to think like one, but the instincts took over. He told me that by copying an alpha wolf's behavior patterns, he was able to keep L under his control. I hope to do the same."

"Yeah," Aizawa snorted, "because we should obviously believe everything a psychopath like Beyond Birthday says."

Light pulled on padded gloves, and then finished dressing, turned to Aizawa, leveling a cold, steady stare at the man. "And what would you do? Do you have any other ideas, besides sitting and watching L for your own amusement?" Light challenged, and Aizawa backed down, not knowing what to say. "I thought so," Light said, satisfied.

He turned to Watari. "Keep the feeds to L's cell shut off- I don't want to worry that I'm being watched," Light told the older man, and when Watari nodded in compliance, Light, assured that he could work in privacy, left the room. He made his way down the hall and to the elevator, going down the shaft until he reached the bottom floor of the headquarters where the cells were located.

Moving in the suit wasn't as bad as one might think, and Light moved quickly down the hall, to the last cell, where L was being kept.

Light went through the unlocking process, hesitating a moment before he entered the passcode necessary to unlock the door. After hearing what the rest of the Task Force members had said about L, he was hesitant to go in there, see his friend in the state he was now.

It ate at something inside of him, knowing that there was nothing he could do except heed a psychopath's words on how best to help L. Light didn't trust Beyond Birthday one whit, but the information he got from the murderer was all he had to go off of.

Procrastinating was not going to help L's state right now, though, so taking a deep breath to steel himself for whatever he might see inside the cell, Light finished entering the passcode and stepped inside once the door swished open and then shut, locking him in with L.

* * *

The breath Light had taken outside of the door was useless, it turned out. It escaped him in a shocked gasp as he saw the carnage of the room- the white material of the straightjacket scattered in ripped pieces along the floor, and the splashes of blood and blue cloth from the worker L had mauled not long before.

The rusty-iron smell of the blood pervaded the air, and the crimson blood shone a bright red under the glaring white fluorescent light.

L was crouched in the middle of the room- a terrifying sight. His black clothes that Beyond had had him wear were ripped and torn in places, no doubt from getting the restraints off of his body, and slashes of pale skin could be seen in the gaps. He was covered in blood- red was smeared across his cheeks, splattered on his clothes and on the white skin that showed through his ripped clothes.

The former detective was in his familiar position, hunched over, but one hand was resting on the ground, bracing him, and the other was held to his mouth. Blood dripped off of L's hands and claws, and he was calmly licking the crimson liquid off of his right hand, getting red blood smeared over his lips. It matted the black fur of his ears and crusted on the edge of his flyaway black spikes.

L was a terrifying sight to behold, especially to Light, who knew how against violence L truly was. His friend had viewed violence as a last resort, and seeing him fall so easily into the violent instincts that came with bearing the mentality of a predator unnerved Light.

L looked up as Light stepped into the room, his head snapping up and regarding Light with a suddenly hostile gaze. The brown-haired man flinched away upon seeing the savageness in the cold, yellow gaze, and Light suddenly found himself longing for the warm grey rings that encircled black pupils.

He had always thought the detective's eyes were unsettling, in their unusual dark coloring, but at the moment, Light would have given the world to see the familiar sight again. Would have done _anything_- and it was that thought that strengthened Light's resolve to see his friend back to normal, not this beast that Beyond had made him into.

Determined now, Light pushed his uneasiness to the side and stepped forwards, putting his plan into motion. He straightened his bearing and raised his head high, meeting L's yellow eyes and holding them as best as he could, forcing himself not to look away from the unnerving yellow gaze.

L's ear flicked once before his lips curled up in a sneer, showcasing white teeth stained crimson with blood. Light watched, still holding L's gaze steadily, as he slowly lowered his right hand to the ground and stood up, not hunched over like he was before he was altered, but straight, like Light, who was shocked to see that L was about the same height as he was when not slouching.

Still, Light did not let that distract him, and took a step forwards, raising his chin higher to look down upon L.

This provoked the detective to let out a ferocious snarl, the sound ripping through the room. L's black tail bristled, becoming puffy with agitation, and he leaned forwards on the balls of his oddly-shaped feet, his whole body tense.

It was a new side of L, so startling to see that Light almost forgot his plan, before remembering it once more. Steeling himself for what he knew-_hoped_-was going to come, Light curled his own lips and let out a growl of his own, taking another step forwards.

This pushed L over the edge.

In his mind, he viewed the room as his territory, and he was the alpha of the territory- or so Light assumed, from his readings. Coming in like he had- deliberately encroaching upon L's territory, exerting alpha behavior, and  
adopting a challenging poise had provoked L into attacking him. Light hoped to be able to subdue L and set himself up as L's "alpha," so that he could, to an extent, control him. Wolves were very loyal, and if Light held the position of a leader in L's wolf-like psyche, then he would be compelled to listen to Light.

Or, so he hoped.

There was one thing Light had miscalculated however- L's new strength. Beyond's DNA serum had done wonders to L's senses, but it also played havoc with his body as well. He was strong, much stronger than an average human, and faster as well.

L attacked as any wolf would- his instincts leading him to do so. He sprung at Light, who wasn't able to move out of the way in time to avoid L's sudden attack. Hands outstretched, L knocked Light to the floor, snarling and trying to get his jaws around Light's throat so that he could bite into the jugular vein.

This, however, Light was prepared for, and brought his left arm up over his neck in time so that L's teeth sunk into the suit's padding instead of the skin of his arm.

Still, the suits were made for K-9 dog training, and even then, with the protection, the dog trainers still walked away with teeth and claw wounds from the German Shepherds they worked with. The jaws, teeth, and claws of a large dog such as the German Shepherd are strong, but still no match for a wolf's.

Light was unable to stop his shocked cry as the tip of L's sharpened canines started to dig into the skin of his arm, just lightly breaking the skin. L jerked his head, attempting to dislodge his teeth even as Light took advantage of L's momentary preoccupation to reach up with his other hand and grasp a firm hold of L's furry black ear and yanked it to the side, causing L to recoil and let out a howl of pain.

Light elbowed L in the sternum, causing him to fall back, and, using his shoulder, knocked L to the ground on his back.

L recovered quickly, however, and rolled, pushing himself onto his feet in a crouch, and yellow eyes blazing, snarled once before leaping at Light once more, teeth snapping and claws fully extended. The lightning-quick movement caught Light off guard, and he was slashed in the chest, L's claws slicing through the suit's padding like hot butter- it was then that Light realized his disadvantage.

He was reluctant to hurt L, held back by his memories of what the detective used to be like as his friend. L, however, possessed no such limitations, and was fully intent on killing Light, seeing him as a rival that needed to be eliminated from his territory.

Light was going to have to cast away his inhibitions to hurt L if he hoped to walk away from this fight with his life. Silently, he apologized to L for what he was about to do.

L's claws were scrabbling to slash at him again, held only at bay by Light's hands upon L's shoulders, restraining him somewhat.

With his new attitude in mind, Light took a chance and pushed hard against L's left shoulder, throwing him off balance for a single second. That was all it took for Light to bend his right arm and elbow L across the face, stunning him and pushing him off to the side.

He cuffed L in the temple as he quickly sat up, ignoring the pain shooting down his arm and chest. The blow knocked L backwards, onto his side, and taking his chance, Light swiftly tackled L, rolling him onto his stomach. L tried to struggle up, twisting and struggling, but Light was faster and used a knee on the small of L's back to pin his lower half to the floor, and held his left shoulder down, Light also pressing a hand against the nape of L's neck.

The detective growled and struggled, letting out a frustrated snarl once in a while, but Light had him pinned, adrenaline and desperation giving him the strength he needed to pin L to the ground.

Eventually, after a time, L went totally still, not moving at all, not even to breathe.

Light didn't dare relax, fearing that this might be a ruse- wolves were extremely clever, intelligent creatures, and Light wouldn't put it past L to attempt something.

But it wasn't long before L's tense body relaxed, and he let out a long, low whine; his tail thumped once, twice against the white tile floor, and he wriggled a little bit, as if to show that he wished to move.

Submissive behavior, Light realized, and greatly relieved, released L and sat up, shifting so that his knees were on either side of L's outer thighs.

A moment passed, and then L wriggled and shifted around, turning as he did so, until he was on his back under Light.

L's eyes were closed, his head to the side and neck bared, ears flat back against his skull. He shifted, bringing his arms up to rest against his head, elbows bent and palms facing upwards. Light felt a sudden furry brush against his inner thigh, and realized that L had brought his tail up between his legs- all displays of submissiveness to a dominant male.

_It's over, _Light thought with a jolt. _I've… won. _

Elated, Light smiled, heaving a sigh of relief. He'd subdued L- the detective wouldn't attack him now. The others were still at risk, but L was smart, and could learn to regard the other Task Force members as part of Light's "pack."

Hopefully.

A sudden wriggling brought Light's attention back to L, who was still bared in a submissive posture, as if waiting for something.

Desperately, Light wracked his brains for what to do in response to submissive behavior- and then remembered. He was slightly reluctant to do it, but if it helped secure L's feelings towards him as an alpha, he would do it-  
especially if it would help further his cause to return L to his former state.

Bracing his hands on the floor beside L's shoulders, Light leaned down, performing the expected actions of an alpha wolf. He sniffed at L's face, near his nose for a second- he felt a sudden warm fluttering as his nose brushed against L's, his lips coming perilously close to his friend's, and Light could feel the warm, fluttery breath coming from L's mouth, brushing over his lips.

It was an odd feeling that settled in his stomach, brought on by his proximity to L, and, both confused and unsettled, moved away from L's face. Still, the feeling persisted as he moved onto L's bared throat, snuffling at it, and then licking it, for some odd reason enjoying the feel of the surprisingly soft skin under his tongue, salty and hot from his exertions with Light.

He trailed his nose down L's body, until he reached L's trim waist. He was somewhat reluctant to do this part, but L was still waiting, obviously for Light to complete the wolfly ritual. Shaking his head, trying to banish his inhibitions, Light slowly leaned his head down and sniffed around L's general crotch area, the trembling in his stomach only increasing as he felt the warm heat radiating from the area.

He couldn't bring himself to do as the website he had gotten information from had said, and lick the genitals, though- that would be far too intimate, too personal, and he was definitely not going near L's backside anytime soon, either. He felt as if he had completed what was demanded and leant back, wincing as burning pain shot up from his wounds. God, L really had done a number on him. He could feel blood trickling from the gashes.

Standing up, a bit stiffly, he moved away from L, who cracked an eye to watch him. Grimacing, Light held his upper arm up for inspection, seeing the savage teeth marks in his arm. L had ripped a good chunk out of the suit, a testament to how lethal L's new alterations were. This suit was designed to stop teeth, and L had ripped through it easily, and Light shuddered to think what would have happened if he had come here without the protection.

L could have killed him.

L… had _wanted_ to kill him.

Light sucked in a breath at the sudden realization, at the thought of how close he could have come to actually dying, and adrenalin rush fading, sunk to the floor, back against the wall.

God.

_Things are so fucked up now_, Light thought sadly, resting his head against the back of the wall, and taking a shuddering breath. _L… we're never going to be the same after this is all over, are we?_

* * *

L had rolled over as soon as the brown-furred alpha-male-human had released him, posturing as he had to do to a dominant male.

He had been unsure, not knowing if the brown-furred alpha-male-human would follow the correct ritual. Humans did odd things, followed weird rituals, and he had not known if this alpha male would perform the correct ones.

But then, he had felt the first tentative sniff against this face, and L had almost wriggled in shock. The other human alpha, the black-furred-bad-alpha, had never bothered to follow the correct procedure of declaring his dominance over a submissive. He had been sneaky and underhanded and cowardly, causing him pain that was quickly followed by a frightening loss of strength and consciousness, and controlled him through a voice in his head.

He had been compelled to follow the black-furred-bad-alpha's commands, because he would be caused hurt of he did not, and it felt wrong to go against the alpha. He had hated and feared the black-furred-bad-alpha, but was compelled to listen.

Until he had woken up here. The voice in his head was gone, along with the bad alpha. But then, this new one had shown up. This one was odd. He smelled of sadness and anger, and walked with the determined stride of a dominant male. This made L curious- there were not many humans that had this bearing. The only other one he knew of was the black-furred-bad-alpha- all the other humans had been submissive in their posturing.

This alpha acted like one of his species, in the way he correctly sniffed at his face, neck, and then groin, imprinting the scent into his brain for future recognition. When the alpha moved away without any further growling or signs of aggression, L knew that he had been accepted.

While he was still infuriated at losing his territory to the other alpha male, he knew that he had been a worthy opponent, and would make a good leader- a better one than his last alpha had been. This was an alpha he would not mind being submissive to, and pushed his anger away.

Tail wagging, he rolled over and crouched down more comfortably, resting one hand across his knees, and the other on the floor for better balance, and regarded his new alpha somewhat critically, ears perking up in interest.

The smell of blood pervaded the air, which would have been appealing if it had not been distinctly human. In a way, L was pleased that the fight had not ended with him being completely subdued- he had not gone down easily, and could accept his loss as long as it was to a worthy opponent and leader.

His ears still throbbed from that vicious yank, and he could feel his cheek swelling from the blow the new alpha had landed on his face. But, he had inflicted some damage onto the new alpha as well. Blood leaked from the two  
wounds on the alpha's front foreleg and torso.

L flicked an ear thoughtfully, stood, and then slunk forwards. Ritual dictated that he helped his new alpha by cleaning the wounds he had inflicted, and that was what he was going to do.

* * *

Light was broken from his thoughts by the sudden feeling of being watched. He looked up warily, seeing L crouched a ways away from him, one arm resting across his knees and his right hand braced on the floor, watching him intently with calm yellow eyes. He had to admit- he was slightly relieved to see them not wild and infuriated, like they had been before.

He still missed the familiar back and grey color, but at this point, he would take whatever he could get.

One of L's ears twitched forwards, and his tail wagged for a moment before he stood up, transitioning from crouched to standing with an almost predatory grace. L still hunched slightly, but not as badly as he had before.

Light hadn't really been able to fully examine L's feet before, but seeing them now, Light found himself fascinated with them. The foot had been elongated, the heel held high in the air, and toes and ball of the foot firmly on the ground. L's fifth toes had migrated to the side slightly, and had a thick claw on the end- the dewclaw, Light realized.

L's new, oddly shaped feet caused him to walk silently, with an almost graceful, predatory sway, and Light found himself mesmerized as L came closer, before crouching directly in front of him. L leaned forwards, placing his hands on Light's knees. He saw that L's hands were till human, save for the lethal claws instead of the usual blunt nails of a human- Beyond probably didn't want anything to interfere with L's ability to grasp and hold things, Light figured. It made sense.

Yellow eyes bored into his, L's furred ears pricked forwards intently- and then L broke off the gaze, and lowered his head. Light watched, curious, as L reached out to grasp Light's arm, on the lower forearm. Clawed fingers curled carefully around his arm, and Light repressed a shudder at having the flesh- tearing claws so close to his wound. "What are you doing…?" Light questioned, although he knew L wouldn't understand.

He didn't, obviously, just glancing up once and flicking an ear, cocking his head curiously, before lowering his gaze once more dismissively. He brought Light's forearm up to his mouth, bending his head, and Light flinched as a smooth, only slightly rough, wet tongue ran over the tender flesh of the bite-wound on his arm.

Understanding dawned upon him- L was cleaning his wounds. It was what dogs, cats, pretty much every animal did when they were hurt. L was trying to help him, not hurt him.

With that thought firmly in mind, Light relaxed, letting his arm go limp in L's grasp. He leaned back as L huffed at Light's movement, licking the blood and other debris away from Lights wound, tongue lapping over it in long, hard licks.

_L has a very long tongue, _Light thought, watching the pink muscle move over his arm. It was silent in the room except for the wet sounds coming from the movements of L's tongue, the atmosphere almost relaxing. For a moment, Light could almost imagine that everything was back to normal, just two friends sitting together in peaceful silence, before he banished the fantasy.

Wishful thinking would not get him anywhere. L was not the L he knew right now, a thought that saddened him.

L stopped licking his arm, grasping it awkwardly with clawed hands and placing it on the ground. Light looked from his arm to L, confused.

L just licked his lips, and let his eyes travel to Light's chest, where a gash was ripped in the fabric and Light's skin from his claws. Reaching out, L brushed his fingers over it, before trying to tug the material off, brows furrowing and ears tilting back as the material wouldn't budge, much to L's apparent confusion. His tail thumped once against the ground in frustration, a frown appearing on his face.

Light almost laughed the confused look on L's face, finding it weird to see such confusion on L's usually blank visage. It was just so weird to see L like this, be in this position- the whole situation was oddly, sickly humorous. Restraining the laughter that wanted to escape, and taming it down into a slight chuckle, Light brought his hands up, and started unzipping the suit.

L blinked once, eyes widening in understanding and then with a huff, batted Light's hand down and bent his head, snagging the hole in the zipper with a fang and then drew it down.

Light stared, swallowing once at the sight. It was almost reminiscent of that trick that one girl had pulled on him while giving him oral- she had pulled his slacks zipper down with her teeth, which had been quite arousing at the time. For some reason, the hot tingles in Light's groin returned upon the thought, before he shook them away.

What the hell had that been?

They were friends, for Chrissakes, and Light should not be having these sorts of thoughts when thinking about L.

A brush of soft fur on his chin caused Light to scrunch up his nose and look down, a slight flush spreading across his cheeks as he did so. L had leaned forwards while Light was distracted, bracing his hands on the ground on both sides of Light's waist. It put him in an intimate position, almost straddling Light, and his hair and furry ears brushed against Light's skin periodically, little tickling touches that raised goosebumps over Light's skin.

L's wet tongue lapped over his chest, clearing the blood away- it was an innocent act, but the feel of L's tongue laving over his chest caused his breath to hitch in his throat. He flinched, though, as the tongue dipped into the bleeding gash, causing pain to shoot outwards from the sensitive, torn nerves in his skin.

He gasped at the pain, and L flicked his eyes upwards, tongue halting mid-lick at the sound from Light. Light stared back at L, closing his mouth firmly to prevent any more sounds from coming out. At this angle, Light could see that L's eyes had a slight upwards slant to them, making them more wolf-like in appearance.

Funny- he'd never noticed it before, being either too shocked or scared when around the detective to notice small details like that. The slight slant made them look almost… exotic. They weren't slanted at a deep angle like a cat's, but more of a subtle, uplifting tilt, and Light found them to be particularly fascinating.

But then, L broke the eye contact to lean down, and he licked once more, almost apologetically, and then leaned back on his haunches, gazing at Light, as if waiting for something.

Not sure of what to do, Light got to his feet slowly, noticing the bleeding in his arm and chest had pretty much stopped. L followed Light's example, getting to his feet as well. With his wolfish feet, L stood an extra inch or two taller than he had before- if he straightened fully, he'd be exactly at Light's height.

As it was, L just stood, ears perked straight upwards and black tail slowly waving side to side.

Light hesitated, looking at the patiently waiting L, then at the door.

Light had established himself as L's leader- it was obvious in the way L had submitted to him, and his deferential behavior towards Light, waiting for him to move before following.

If he left this room, would L follow him?

And more importantly, how would L react upon seeing the other Task Force members?

To experiment, Light stepped away from the door, to the side, L's yellow gaze following him. Experimentally, he took another step back, watching L suddenly come to attention, paying close attention to Light. He took a step to the side, further away from L, and proceeded to walk away from him.

After a moment, L followed after Light, padding swiftly after him with the same predatory grace he exhibited in all of his movements. Light stopped, L a few respectful feet behind him, and cocked his head to the side, as if waiting for Light's next move. The whole time, L's yellow gaze never left Light, always watching with the same intentness that was so like L.  
_  
Some things still remain the same, even when other things change irrevocably_, Light thought. He then sighed in relief.

So, L would follow him- it would appear that that was what he had been waiting for, after all. Nodding to himself, he started towards the door again, feeling L's presence behind him.

It was odd, knowing someone was following you, but not being able to see or hear them.

He stopped at the door and unlocked it, pausing as it swung open. Light glanced once behind him, seeing L lean forwards a bit, gazing out the door with wide eyes. His tail waved back and forth, as if excited and his ears twitched and flicked at the swishing sound the door made. His whole demeanor was very alert and intent, and Light couldn't help but smile a bit.

It was odd, seeing L openly showing emotions like this. Perhaps… once he got L situated, and started doing research on L to get him back to normal, then maybe, things could go back to the way they were before all of this.

_God, I hope they can go back._

* * *

Those motherfuckers.

Ruining a perfect plan-goddamn them!

They would pay- everything had been set up, and one slip-up, one wrong word from the wrong mouth could throw everything that had been worked for these long years, away.

Yes; extreme caution would have to be taken; plans would have to be re-worked, precautions taken.

But it would work- if careful methods were applied.

Things would have to be changed, that was all.

Because there was only one shot at this, and mistakes could not be afforded to be made.

* * *

Edited version uploaded 4/7/13


	5. The Better to Accept You With

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviwers- please, continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Light had not known how L would react to new stimuli, but while wary, seemed willing to trust Light, and followed him silently into the elevator. He looked around while Light typed in the passcode and buttons to unlock the elevator and have it take them up to the floor where the rest of the Task Force was waiting.

He was reluctant to expose L to the others, but the sooner he got it done with, the sooner he could start doing his research on L in order to restore him to his former self.

L whined, obviously alarmed as the elevator had started moving, stepping closer to Light as if seeking reassurance. Unsure of what to do, Light hesitantly reached out and ran a hand through L's hair, noticng for the first time how soft and feathery it really was.

The action seemed to calm L, however and soon, he stepped back away from Light, resuming his watchful stance.

L jumped slightly when the elevator dinged, letting out a low growl at the unfamiliar noise. The door swished open, and L stopped his growling to stare at the door, recognizing it as an exit from one place to the other.

Light watched all of this silently, marveling at how much more open L was with his reactions and emotions since his alteration. It was fascinating, seeing how L reacted as a wolf would to new things.

Shaking his head, he left the elevator, hearing the swift clicking of claws on the hard floor right behind him, signaling that L was still following. He glanced behind, seeing L's head turn at every thing that captured his attention, ears flicking and twitching at every sound that reached him. He looked tense, clawed fingers twitching and tail waving agitatedly back and forth, fur puffed slightly up.

Light was able to recognize these signs as fear from his research and stopped, realizing that in this state, L was going to be dangerous to any person that approached them. He wouldn't attack Light, but the chances that L would attack any unfamiliar person in the state he was in were extremely high.

Rubbing his temples, Light wracked his brain for any solution to the problem- and then blinked as he came up with one. Glancing down, he eyed his ripped training suit speculatively, before shrugging.

There was nothing else he could think of to prevent the inevitable bloodshed if he simply led a scared, defensive L into a room of unfamiliar people. Quickly, he unzipped his suit the rest of the way, his arm a bit stiff from he  
wound L had given him, the pain making him wince as he forced his hurt arm to work.

The suit was prevented from coming all the way off, and irritated, earned down to yank the rubber and plastic boots off, jerking the laces from their eyelets and slipping them off. He then removed the gloves, glancing once at L's claws speculatively, before setting them off to the side. From there, the rest of the suit came off easily, leaving him in his now-ruined working slacks and button-down shirt, barefoot.

Holding the suit in one hand, he gestured L forwards, pointing at the ground right in front of him.

L didn't move, just cocked his head to the side, watching Light's movements. Impatient, Light gestured again. "Come here, L."

L's ears twitched once at Light's voice, but he remained still other than that.

Sighing in impatience, Light made to move towards L, taking a step forwards, but L skittered backwards, keeping a steady distance between them. Frowning now, tired of L's antics, he made to move forwards again, but L moved back again, this time curling his lips in a grimace and turning his head away, ears flattened against his head.

Light stopped, regarding L with frustration. He knew that less dominant wolves showed their respect by keeping a distance away from alphas, but how the hell was he supposed to get close to L now?

Sighing, Light rested his head in his hand, thinking, and cursing Beyond to the inner circles of hell for making him put up with this. Fuck the psycho.

Removing his hand, Light straightened, putting his chin up once more before approaching the now-cowering L slowly, making no sudden movements. This time, L remained in place, although he remained tense and kept his head turned away, tilting it to bare his neck to Light.

He took advantage of L's stillness, once he got close to him, to wrap the legs of the training suit around L's thin waist and tie them tightly, double-knotting it so that it wouldn't come unraveled. Light then stepped away, grabbed the gloves he had been wearing and grasped ahold of L's quivering hands, slipping first one glove and then the other onto them before stepping back, keeping a tight hold ion the arms of the training suit.

He surveyed his work with satisfaction. The legs of the suit tied around L's waist served as a makeshift leash, and the gloves Light had put on L's hands prevented his claws from potentially slashing anyone. There was nothing he could do about the teeth, but Light hoped that these measures would at least prevent anyone from being killed once he got L into the room where the rest of the Task Force was.

Light took another step back, and tugged slightly on the suit. Immediately, L's eyes flew open and he tilted his head down, regarding the suit tied around his waist with some confusion. Letting out a short huff, he leaned down and began to pull at it with his teeth, trying to get it undone.

Light stepped forwards with a short growl and shake of his head, causing L to stop pulling at the tie and shrink backwards. Pleased, Light stopped, nodding. "Good," he said, and L perked up at the sound of Light's voice, watching his movement carefully.

Light stepped back, careful to keep the suit slack between him and L, and started walking forwards again, L followed his movements unsure, until Light made no move to stop him, and then his gait grew more confident, sure that Light still wanted him to follow.

* * *

They made it to the outside of the room with no mishaps, although L seemed to be getting annoyed at the suit tied around his waist. He kept pawing at it, as if he wished to tug it off, but made no attempt to do so.

Taking a deep breath, Light reached out and opened the door. He stepped through into the workroom, L following close behind.

The Task Force looked up at Light's entrance, a collective shock settling over the room at the sight of Light and L. They had to be quite the sight, Light knew- L was still bloodstained, Light's and the worker's blood drying on his face, clothes, and hair. His clothes were ripped and his wolfish alterations were brought into clear sight. Light himself wasn't as bad as L, but the slash on his chest was still a raw, throbbing red, and the wound in his arm didn't help matters any, either.

"Holy shit, Light," Aizawa said, disbelief lacing his voce, staring incredulously at the pair. "What happened? And what were you thinking, bringing _him_ here?!" he questioned, sounding somewhat panicked as he gestured at L, whose eyes were scanning over all those in the room. His tail was just starting to bristle, and a side of his lip curled up in the start of a snarl.

"I hoped to get him introduced to you all," Light said wearily, ignoring L's threatening posturing from behind him. "That way, we can start research right away, and I don't have to worry about him going after one of you."

"That's insane!" Matsuda cried, casting a wary look at L, flinching when L's hostile yellow gaze landed on him. "How can you know he won't suddenly attack? He's obviously not in his right mind!"

"No," Light replied. "He's not. But I was able to figure out how to get through to him, using what I learned from beyond. He sees the world through a wolf's eyes- by following a wolf's behavioral patterns, I was able to establish myself as his leader."

"And how did you do that?" His father asked, standing up and coming a bit closer, although he was careful to maintain his distance.

Light smiled wryly, and held up his wounded arm. "I fought him for the title of alpha. Luckily, I won- if I hadn't, I would be dead at the moment."

"So, what, we're all going to have to fight him?" Aizawa asked skeptically. "Come on, Light, this is ridiculous! Why are you going through with this? If he won't attack you, that's fine- you deal with him, and get the data, and then we can work on it once you get it. Keep him locked up and away from other people, for God's sake. Look at him- he's dangerous!"

L only punctuated the statement by letting out a hair-raising growl at Aizawa's raised voice, eyes narrowing threateningly at the unknown man.

"Aizawa!" Light hissed, glancing back at L, slightly crouched and tail bristling. "Don't be stupid! I know he's dangerous, but I refuse to lock him up like a wild animal! He's my friend, damn it, and I refuse to just leave him caged up! If you don't want to do this, fine, but you'll have to stay away from L- which means you'll also have to stay away from the building itself, since I plan on letting him free as soon as he gets settled. Make your choice, Aizawa," Light said, staring the other man down.

There was a moment of silence, and then Aizawa stepped back, shaking his head. "This is crazy," he declared. "I'll do it, because I want to keep working here, but it doesn't mean I like it. And I won't be going first."

Light nodded. "Whatever makes you feel better, Aizawa. Is there anyone willing?" Light asked, eyes flicking over those in the room.

Surprisingly, it was Matsuda who volunteered. "I guess… I'll go. I don't think anyone would be willing, and I probably don't seem like much of a threat," he laughed, but it sounded nervous and uneasy. It showed in the hesitant step he took forwards, and in the way his hands grasped the sides of his slacks nervously.

"It'll be alright, Matsuda," Light reassured him. "Now, I'm going to come closer to you. Don't move, no matter what, unless I push you out of the way. If I do, do your best to dive to the side- when I and L fought earlier, he always started by jumping at me. You'll have the best chance of evading if you do that," Light told him. "And, I need you to do exactly as I say, no matter how odd it may seem- what I'm going to do will seem normal to him, alright?"

Matsuda nodded, gulping nervously, and eyeing the still-bristling L. "Alright, Light."

"Good." Light let the suit-leash go slack between him and L, leaving as much possible space between them as possible. He stepped closer to Matsuda, but L made no move to follow, only snarled, making those in the room jump.

"Stay still," Light reiterated, "and I want you to tilt your chin up, not straight up," Light amended, "but up and to the side-good," Light said as Matsuda did as he directed. "Now, keep it like that, and try not to flinch or move, alright?"

Matsuda nodded slightly, and Light moved until he was right in front of the taller man, and lifted his chin straight up, as he had done before when approaching L. As Light leaned forwards to brush his nose over Matsuda's face, the growling stopped, and collectively, those in the room turned to look at L. Hewas no longer snarling, but instead staring intently at Light and Matsuda, observing Light's actions.

He nosed at Matsuda's cheek, then trailed his nose down to Matsuda's neck, and sniffed it- luckily, it smelled clean, and of soap, along with a slight hint of aftershave. Matsuda had taken a shower today, then. That was good- he was already slightly squicked out about having to do what he was going to next, although he wondered idly why licking L's neck hadn't disgusted him.

He pushed those distracting thoughts away in favor of returning to the task at hand. Steeling himself, he reached out to lick at Matsuda's neck, feeling the man flinch slightly at the wet contact. Light ignored it, and sniffed more at his neck, before reaching out to run a hand through Matsuda's hair gently, and then stepped back, glancing behind him at L. His stance wasn't hostile anymore, although it remained wary, and he was gazing at Matsuda interestedly, tail waving slowly back and forth behind him.

Light let out a near-silent sigh of relief. It had worked, then. By imitating the process of acceptance with Matsuda as he had done with L, he had shown that Matsuda was safe, and that he was part of the "pack," as well as L.

He nodded at Matsuda in approval. "It's working," he whispered. "Don't move- L's going to do the same thing I did. He won't hurt you, don't worry. As soon as he licks your neck, like I did, tilt your head down and sniff his ears. It's communicating to him that as part of his pack, you're trying to imprint his scent so that you recognize him in the future, and he'll do the same to you. Don't do what I did to you, though- that was a display of dominance, and it'll provoke him," Light explained hastily before stepping back, and glanced at L, and then to Matsuda.

L took the silent signal as permission o move forwards, and he did so, ears perked forwards and tail wagging interestedly. Immediately, L leaned forwards and sniffed Matsuda's face, nuzzling it and licking his cheeks, before trailing downwards and doing the same to his neck.

Matsuda, remembering what Light had told him, leaned his head down, and wrinkling his nose as the tips of L's ears brushed against his face, sniffed into L's black spikes. He recoiled a bit, as they were stiff and crusted with dry blood. But he persevered, aware of L's very sharp, dangerous teeth right at his neck.

He heard L huff, felt the puff of warm air on his neck, and then L was leaning up, burying his nose in Matsuda's hair and sniffing behind his ear.

Light watched, relieved that it was going off without a hitch. He had to admit, perhaps Beyond did know what he was talking about- though it didn't enhance his feeling towards the psycho any.

After a moment more, L stepped back, tail waving lazily behind him. He nosed once under Matsuda's chin, let out a soft growl, and then moved away. Matsuda seemed confused, and looked to Light.

Light nodded at the man in reassurance. "You did well- you're safe. If I read his reactions right, he sees you as part of his pack- although, I think he may see you as below him, judging by the growl at the end, so keep that in mind. You need to be careful not to raise your chin to him if you ever approach him- only do it if he seems angry, and always do it in the submissive position."

* * *

L had watched as his alpha approached the strange human, and not knowing what was going on, had growled as a warning- if this human did anything threatening to his alpha, then he'd attack.

But, the human had displayed his throat to his alpha in the proper display of submission, and he had watched alertly as his alpha had gone through the proper ritual.

So, this human was part of his alpha's pack- and if his alpha accepted him, then he would, too. He patiently waited until his alpha had finished, and with permission, had approached this human as well, imprinting his scent for future recognition, although humans were so diverse in their looks that it was easy to tell them apart.

Then, after the process, he had stepped back, nosing under this human's chin once in a playful gesture, but growled to remind this human of his place- which was below him and his alpha- before his attention turned to the other humans in the room.

Were they part of his alpha's pack as well?

Curious, he had stepped forwards, approaching one with very bushy fur protruding from the top of his head, intent on learning if this human was part of his alpha's pack as well, or if he was from a different pack.

* * *

Light saw Aizawa stiffen as L started to approach him curiously, ears perked forwards and demeanor speaking of interest. Aizawa looked as if we were going to bolt, glancing nervously at L's glove-covered claws, and then at his teeth, but behind L, Light shook his head desperately.

"Don't move, Aizawa," he hissed. "He won't do anything if you do as Matsuda did."

The afro-haired man looked skeptical, but nonetheless turned his head away with his chin up, allowing L to sniff at him, doing the same as Matsuda had done in return. The process went off without a hitch, and Aizawa sighed in relief as L stepped away from him and moved onto Mogi.

However, when L made to move onto Soichiro, he suddenly stopped, sniffing the air in front of the older man, and flattened his ears to his head. He looked to Light, and back to Soichiro- Light furrowed his brows, not really understanding what was going on.

"What's his problem?" Aizawa asked, and Light shook his head, confused as well.

"I'm not really sure," he admitted. Desperately, he ran through the information he had gotten, trying to figure out why L was acting so hesitant towards his father.

Soichiro suddenly spoke up, however. "I think I may know- I've actually worked with some K-9 in my younger years, when I was thinking about joining the unit. Part of the training included going to a breeder's farm to gain some experience with the dogs, and I picked up a few things there. Let me try something," Soichiro said, and Light shrugged, not knowing what else to do. It didn't seem as if L would attack his father, and he seemed as if he knew what he was doing.

"Sure, dad."

Nodding, Soichiro straighter, approaching L, who didn't move. He reached out around L to grab the scruff of his neck. L immediately went limp, held only by Soichiro, and the man ran a hand through L's hair, tugging gently on his ears once before releasing him and stepping back.

Light stared, confused, as L recovered, shook himself, and calmly returned to Light's side.

"What was that?" Light asked, incredulous, and Soichiro shrugged. "You smell somewhat like me, as you are my son. He was simply confused and through my actions, I demonstrated that I was higher than him, as I held the position of your father- through the grabbing of the scruff. The hand running through the hair imitated a grooming gesture, relaying to him that I was not angry as the earlier motion could have been easily misconstrued. He still sees you as alpha, but as your father I command respect as well."

Light nodded, still a bit amazed- he had never known his father was a prospective K-9, and wondered what had changed his mind.

But now L was back beside him, and the atmosphere in the room was considerably less tense, now that they knew L wasn't a threat to them anymore.

In fact, L had crouched down beside him, still a bit behind him and off to the side, one hand braced on the floor and other across his knees, observing everything with renewed interest. It was obvious that he had accepted the other Task Force members, but remained wary of them- his eyes narrowed whenever they made too sudden of a movement, and his lip curled menacingly once when Matsuda picked up a piece of paper with information on it and tried to go over to Light to show it to him.

Light was just about to start discussing going back to the warehouse and obtaining the blueprints for a new microchip to fit L with, when the door suddenly slammed open. It made L jump up in shock, bristling at the sudden unknown intrusion.

A loud squeal rent the air, and Light's eyes widened, dread pooling in his stomach as he remembered. It was something vital, something he had forgotten, and the dread only increased as he heard a warning snarl from L rip through the room.

Shit.

Misa.

* * *

Edited version uploaded 4/7/13


	6. The Better to Attract You With

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviwers- please, continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Misa came tearing into the room, her attention focused fully on Light. She didn't see L, as she was focused entirely on Light. She didn't notice as the bloodstained detective rose up, fur on every part of his body bristling as he snarled ferociously, before leaping to intercept the girl, fangs bared.

Light, however, knew what was going to happen. Just as Misa reached him, yelling his name in happiness, he used his forearm to push her away and stepped forwards, so that L barreled into him.

L's teeth closed around his already wounded arm, causing Light to cry out on pain as they landed on the floor, Light's back hitting the wall. The jerking motion caused the teeth lodged in Light's arm to shift, tearing flesh and muscle even more. It sent waves of hot pain all through Light's arm and up into his shoulder, staining L's teeth and lips red with blood purring from the wound.

L's eyes widened almost comically as he realized what he had done and releasing Light's torn, bloody arm, he scrambled backwards with ears flattened.

A shocked gasp came from Misa, lying on the ground a few feet away, and L's head whipped around, ears raised once more.

Misa's breath abruptly cut off as she saw L for the first time in over a year- bloodstained, with wolfish appendages and blazing yellow eyes, all directed towards her.

Slowly, L turned, a growl rumbling deep in his throat as he crouched, muscles tensed to spring and end this human's life that had dared approach his alpha as it had.

Misa's life, however, was saved only by the presence of Light. He was quick to realize what was about to happen and right as L sprung, about to end Misa's life, Light's uninjured hand shot out to grab the arms of the suit still tied to L's waist.

Jerking backwards, Light was able to pull himself up and yank L backwards into him.

The force of the jerk momentarily deprived L of breath, sending his head reeling, and Light used the sudden advantage to spin them around and pin L to the wall with his body. He used the forearm of his uninjured arm to press against L's throat, putting him in an improvised chokehold.

"Light!" his father cried, wanting to do something, but unable to help rectify the situation in any way.

"I'm alright, dad," Light ground out, pressing against L, who was struggling and snapping, infuriated eyes still fixed upon Misa. "Look, just… get Misa out of here, alright? She's only making the situation worse, and-damn it, L!" Light yelped, feeling the claws of L's feet rake over his legs in his attempts to break free.

"I've had enough of this shit, L!" Light said vehemently. Determined, Light gritted his teeth against the pain his action would bring, and raised his injured arm up, grasping onto some of L's fluffy hair. He yanked L's head forwards, and then slammed it back against the wall, momentarily stunning the wolfish detective.

Still keeping a firm grasp on L's hair, he jerked his head forwards until he was staring straight into L's yellow eyes, only inches away from L's face. "That's enough," Light growled, baring his teeth. "I'm sick and tired of your shit, L. Now you will listen to me," Light snarled, gripping tighter on L's hair and causing him to let out a wince, "or I will lock you back up in that damned room until I figure out a way to fix you."

L's whole demeanor had gotten less and less threatening as Light spoke- he didn't understand Light's words, but he did understand both the vocalized and posturing aggression. He flattened his ears back, staring fearfully into Light's angry eyes.

His tail tucked, stiffening fearfully and L shrank back, his lips curling in a grimace of fear. Dimly, Light heard Misa's protests as she was ushered quickly from the room, but his whole attention was focused on L, trembling in fear before him.

For some reason, the thought made the hot trembles in his stomach return, and staring into L's pale , upturned face, pinning him to the wall with his body… it wreaked havoc on Light's senses and he briefly forgot why he and L were in his position. It was hard to concentrate when he was pressed this close to L, the lithe body hot from previous exertions, and some wayward strands of silky hair from L's bangs brushed softly against Light's forehead, tickling him in a pleasant way.

He could feel L's breath against his lips, fast and warm, feel L's rapid breathing, his chest rising and falling, brushing and pressing against Light's own every time L inhaled. This nearness that Light had rarely had a chance to experience with another human, this intimacy that he had never gained with any of the girls he had been with, was intoxicating. Light felt abruptly confused and hot all at once, L's closeness doing these strange things to his body.

This… this was never supposed to happen.

L was his friend, his friend who was mentally sick, and cowering in front of him, and he should not be feeling this way, not now, not ever. It was confusing, and the conflict made his head spin, even as he felt a sudden insane desire to press closer to L, even for just a second, to get more of the close contact he felt himself suddenly craving.

L was breathing heavily, he could hear and feel, panting from the exertion, when suddenly L froze, an ear pricking forwards as he drew in a deep breath through his nostrils.

And then, the thought suddenly hit Light- wolves have an extraordinary sense of smell, better than almost any other mammals, and a few informational sites he had stumbled onto said that wolves could even smell and sense emotions.

Understanding registered through his mess of confusing feelings, and he gasped.

If wolves were that sensitive to emotions, if he could smell what Light was feeling- he was reluctant to voice exactly what this feeling was- then that meant…

Fuck.

* * *

L was… confused.

His alpha's feelings had shifted, so slowly and subtly that it had not gained his attention until they became decidedly less angry and aggressive, and more… almost aroused.

Which was confusing. There were no females around, nothing to trigger his alpha male's arousal.

Could he just be misreading the smells emanating off of his alpha?

L sniffed once more, just very slightly, not wanting to risk a sudden movement and provoke his alpha any more than he already was- but the scent remained the same.

L felt himself suddenly released, and he blinked, confused as his alpha backed away, arousal and indecision pouring off of him in waves. He whined softly, confused and unsure of his alpha's intentions.

Was there something wrong- was there something he had been missing? He had attacked the human that had threatened his alpha- he had protected his alpha, just as he was supposed to.

Why then, was his alpha reacting in this way? And what had caused the sudden strange shift in his alpha's emotions?

L sniffed again, just in case he missed anything- fear saturated the air, no doubt from the attack of the other human on his pack's alpha, the conflicting feelings coming from said alpha, and-

There. L stepped forwards, sniffing deeply in the direction the attacking human had come from. The hormones and pheromones coming from that direction were decidedly female, and L made some quick deductions inside his wolfly brain.

The human that had been attacking had been female. And… she had not been attacking at all, but greeting her alpha in the strange way that humans did. All alphas had a mate, and this female human must be his mate. And his alpha was angry because he had misconstrued the whole situation and attacked his mate- and his alpha was angry because of it, and aroused because he had not yet had the chance to mate with his human female.

It all made sense now, and L's eyes opened wide- he had made a grievous error, one he was not sure his alpha would forget.

L whined in distress- he was not sure if any amount of submissive posturing would be able to fix the mistake he had made.

* * *

Light ran a hand through his hair as he released L and stepped away- he hoped to God that L had not fully picked up on what he had been feeling. That would be a big goddamned disaster if he had.

He heard L whine behind him, but chose to ignore it- he had things to do, like finding Misa and explaining to her what had happened.

God, he so did not want to deal with that right now.

Misa came by a few times each week to see him, and he loathed those days with all of his heart- the visits had kept him from solving him important cases, and distracted him from searching for L before the detective had been found.

But now was not the time to let his distaste of the disillusioned girl get in the way. Not informing Misa of L's situation could lead her to potential harm at L's hands at a later date, and he would not be the one to lead her to that.

But, at least his thoughts of Misa had killed any sort of weird feelings that had been cropping up at L's proximity. Now that he was away from the detective, those confusing feelings had dissipated-at least for the time being- and he was able to focus on what needed to be done.

And, he needed to get his wounds looked at.

Right. Infirmary first, and then he'd find Misa. Priorities, Light, priorities. And priorities included not bleeding to death from the wound in his arm before this day was out.

Sighing, he turned back to L, grimacing as he saw the detective still regarding him fearfully, confusion evident in his yellow and black eyes.

"Come here, L," Light said, wearily gathering up the training suit. Right now, Light didn't know if he'd have enough strength to restrain L again if he chose to go apeshit on someone, and he was getting tired of having to lead L around.

He was just tired, in fact. These past two days had been an emotional rollercoaster for Light, and he felt weary, so weary. Hosetly, he really just wanted to get some sleep.

And some painkillers, because his arm hurt worse than some of the bitches he had known in the past.

He tugged on the arms of the training suit, and L cautiously came towards him, walking with that odd gait he had now thanks to his feet. Light still wasn't used to those odd feet, or the way L walked with them. Before, L had walked almost clumsily, never tripping over anything, but plodding along, either barefoot or in his old tennis shoes. Now, L walked with grace, silent and predatory, and it was such an odd change, so different from the L he used to know.

L approached him cautiously, and when he was finally within grasping distance, Light impatiently reached out and grasped the suit around L's wait, tugging the knot loose so that it fell to the ground in a loose heap at L's feet.

L looked down, blinking, and then as if he understood, held up his gloved hands as well.

This struck Light as funny for some reason and he chuckled, taking hold of L's hands and sliding the gloves off, dropping them on top of the now- ruined suit.

L flexed his fingers, rubbing them against his cheeks to dispel the irritating feeling of having them encased in cloth before dropping them down to his sides once more. He returned his attention to Light, watching him for any sort of sign as to what they would be doing next.

Light shook his head, turning away and gestured for L to follow him, even though he knew the wolfish detective wouldn't understand. "Come on, L."

* * *

The halls of the Kira Task Force headquarters were silent, luckily, and Light made it to the infirmary safely without L killing anyone on the way there. That was a definite plus. And now, the wolfish detective crouched on one of the chairs in the white room, watching silently as Light pulled out the medical bandages needed to patch himself up.

He slipped off his ruined shirt and tossed it in the trash; bloodstained and ripped, it was of no use to him anymore. It left him bare-chested, and the cold temperature of the room raised goosebumps on Light's exposed skin. L was still watching him, but not in a weird way; he was soimply observing everything Light did.

The silence between them was comfortable, bringing back memories of working alongside L in the days before L had been taken by Beyond.

He smiled lightly. L still retained some of the oddities he had had back then, and the weight of L's gaze was not annoying as it had been a year ago, but instead, a comfort.

Light opened a tube of Neosporin along with a bottle of hydrogen peroxide; looking at the hole in his arm, he grimaced. This was going to hurt like a son of a bitch, he knew.

Still, he didn't want it to get infected, and so with reluctance, he wetted a cloth with water and gently wiped away the blood on his arm, attempting to clean the wound a bit before he put the peroxide on it to sterilize it and wrap it up.

The cloth turned red fast, and disgusted, he tossed it into a corner to pick up later. Then, picking up the bottle of peroxide, Light gritted his teeth- and poured the substance onto his injured arm.

It hurt- extremely so. Gasping, he managed, with shaking hands, to put the bottle down, and then grasped the edge of the counter with his other hand, closing his eyes and bracing himself as the peroxide hissed and bubbled, burning out any harmful bacteria from the wound.

He waited a few seconds, and the wetted another washcloth, clenching his teeth as he wiped his wound down again, and then applied Neosporin to the edges of it, along with smearing some on the gauze he had prepared. Wrapping the gauze around the wound, he tied it off, double knotting it, and then turned to glare at L, who was watching him with extreme interest, although his nose was wrinkled.

The harsh chemical smell of the peroxide burned L's nose, Light supposed. That made him feel a bit better- it was a sort of petty revenge for what L had done to him. "Serves you right," he muttered to L, who blinked, and then  
huffed.

Rolling his eyes, Light turned, reluctantly repeating the process with the slash marks on his chest. He didn't wrap the marks with gauze, but instead cut squares off and taped them on. His arm and chest were burning by the time he got done, and his leg was stinging from where L had clawed him with his toe-claws.

If Beyond's aim was to make L some sort of killer, he had certainly done his job well. Light had only gotten out of the fight with L alive because he had had the sense to prepare somewhat; and even then, he had not come out unscathed. Light also had some training with fighting, which he was thankful for.

But if one put L against a normal citizen… someone who had none of his experience or preparation… Light shuddered to think what would happen then. Even that worker had only been saved by another's intervention. If Watari had not tranquilized L when he did, the worker would have been killed by L.

Glancing over at L, he grimaced as he saw the detective's state. L would need new clothes- the ones he had on were dirty, ripped, and stained with blood. And, Light realized, he would need a bath to get the dried blood off of his hair and body.

Later, though, Light thought. He'd do it later. Right now, he needed painkillers, and then he needed to find Misa.

With that thought firmly in mind, he turned to the medicine cabinet and located a bottle of Advil, took out two and swallowed them, then replaced the bottle. He closed the cabinet and turned to L with a sigh, the detective looking up from what he had been doing while Light was preoccupied.

Which was cleaning his tail, licking the fur in long strokes, trying to get the blood off of the black fur.

For a second, an insane thought crossed Light's mind- _If L wants to kill someone, he should at least be a bit cleaner about it._ He quickly shook the thought away, however, and stepped forwards, yanking L's tail out of his hands to prevent him from cleaning it any more. He had read that wolves that killed humans often developed a taste for human blood, and Light didn't want to deal with that.

L yelped as the motion tugged his tail painfully and threw him off balance, causing him to fall backwards. He huffed as he struggled back up, narrowing his eyes and growling in irritation.

Light only rolled his eyes and turned away, opening the door. He needed to go find Misa, and explain what had happened. Gesturing for L to follow him, Light left the room, L quickly hopping to his feet and followed after Light, as swift and silent as ever.

* * *

"He what?!" Misa shrieked, staring with distaste at L, who was waiting a few respectful feet behind Light.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, gathering his patience. God. He really didn't want to do this right now. He thought of his bed with longing for a fleet second, before focusing back on the blonde girl, staring at L in disgust.

"No way- things like that only happens in movies and stuff, and- Light, why aren't you wearing a shirt?!"

Light winced; of course Misa would zero in on that. He knew it was inappropriate for him to be shirtless in front of her, but on the way to his room, he had consequently run into Misa.

Oddly enough, L didn't show any hostility towards the girl; he simply stepped back a few feet, leaving Misa and Light alone. It was weird, but Light couldn't possibly fathom why L was acting this way. He had jumped at Misa before, so what had changed?

"I'm not wearing a shirt, Misa, because I had to go to the infirmary and take care of my wounds, one of which is on my chest. The shirt was in the way and ruined, so I just tossed it," Light tried to explain- not that Misa was listening, too focused on the bare expanse of Light's tanned chest that was exposed to her view.

"Aw, I bet it hurt- stupid L," Misa said, shooting a glare at L, who immediately backed off. Light noticed this, furrowing his eyebrows. Something was off in his treatment of Misa- he was acting almost as he did towards  
Light.

His attention was drawn back to the blonde, though, when she reached out to run her hands up Light's chest- the soft touch only disgusted him. Her hands were too soft, and slightly clammy with what he suspected was lotion, and her nails were long, scratching unpleasantly against his skin.

He reached up and grasped ahold of her hands, holding them away from him gently, yet firmly. "No, Misa. Listen. You know how L went missing a year ago? We found him, but he was like this. His kidnapper experimented on him Misa, and he's not right in the head anymore. I wanted to get him re-acquainted with you,  
so that if he chooses to wander around, you wouldn't be in any danger."

Misa didn't seem to fully understand what was being said- she could care less about L. But what she did hear was that Light was worried for her safety, and she beamed. "So, you care about me? That's wonderful, Light. Uh, is he going to follow you around like that all the time?" She asked with distaste, wrinkling her nose at L. She tried loosening her hands so that she could hug Light in response to his confession, but he held them tighter to prevent this.

And honestly, he was getting irritated. "Misa, you're not listening to me."

"Yes, I am!" she protested, finally breaking free and wrapping her arms around Light, causing him to gasp in pain as the slashes across his chest were pushed on. Goddamn, that _hurt._

"Misa, let go!" Light said, trying to get free. "Damn it, you're hurting me, so let-"

He froze as a growl came from behind them, and both he and Misa turned to see L in a half-crouch, growling, but with his tail tucked, as if confused or scared. His yellow eyes flicked between Misa and Light, like he was trying to decide upon something.

* * *

L had seen the blonde he recognized as his alpha's mate coming, and as his alpha went to greet her, he had dropped back, giving them space. It was not his place to interfere with their business, even if the feeling he was getting from his alpha was confusing him.

He should be glad to see his mate, but he only sensed annoyance and weariness emanating from his alpha as he greeted his mate in the weird language humans used.

The mixed signals were confusing L, so he relied on reading their body language to read them. And what he saw confused him even further.

His alpha's mate was obviously happy to see him, happiness present in her actions and changing her scent subtly as well. But his alpha was not- he stiffened, as if he were irritated or fearing. They communicated in the weird human way, and then the mate's attention turned to him, and L tensed as he felt disgust coming from her.

Rapidly, he went over his actions- he had not done anything wrong, so what was this expression for? He turned to his alpha for help, but he wasn't paying attention; he was telling his mate something, annoyance evident in his  
stance.

And then, the mate's paws ran over his alpha's torso, and his alpha had tensed further, disgust tangible in the air that L discreetly sniffed. The mate's actions implied that she wanted physical contact with his alpha, and he  
could smell her arousal in the air.

That should have made his alpha aroused as well, but he sensed only feelings of disgust emanating from his alpha.

It was confounding- his alpha's mate obviously desired sexual attention, but his alpha didn't seem to pick up on it and respond, as he should have.

Could it be that this human was not his alpha's mate, but simply a human whose sexual attraction to his alpha was rejected?

It made sense to L- this female was trying to force her attentions onto his unwilling alpha, and she would not back off. It was the cause of his alpha's distress.

That line of thought roused L's protective instincts- pack was family, and the leader of his family, his alpha, was being harassed. Humans were odd, L knew. It must be against their rituals to reject females in the manner that his  
species did.

His alpha suddenly made a pained sound, and L returned his attention to his alpha, torn from introspective thoughts. His eyes narrowed and his lip started to curl in instinct as he saw the human female, who L now knew was most definitely not his alpha's mate and therefore not part of his pack, wrap her forelegs around his alpha's torso. It was obvious that his alpha was trying to struggle free, but in a wy that would not hurt the human female, but she would not release his alpha, and it looked as if he was not going to be able to break free.

L growled at the sight of his alpha being accosted, and both his alpha and the human female froze and looked at him. He growled once more at the human female, warning her to back off of his alpha.

* * *

"Misa," Light whispered, regarding L with something akin to relief. "I need you to let me go and back away."

Misa simply nodded, unsure of what was going on. She had thought that this was some sort of joke being pulled on her, but now she wasn't so sure. She hadn't seen L for a long time, but had assumed he was sick or work kept him really busy.

But now, looking at him, she wasn't so sure. The claws and teeth didn't look fake, and the way the fur on the ears and tail bristled was pretty much impossible to do unless it was remote controlled, or something. But it didn't  
look fake, and with this thought in mind, Misa released Light and backed away from the approaching L slowly, fear growing as the wolfish form came closer, until he was standing at Light's shoulder.

"Light…you weren't joking, were you?" Misa asked, never taking her eyes off of L. "He was…experimented on?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you Misa," Light replied wearily, touching the wounds on his chest with a wince. At least the gauze stayed on; it would have hurt like hell to have re-applied them. "I don't think he'll do anything; he hasn't attacked you yet, although I'm not sure what his fluctuating attitudes towards you means. I think he may have seen you as a threat and reacted accordingly."

"So what, L's a… a dog now?" Misa asked, wrinkling her nose and regarding L with a blend of curiosity and fear.

"No, Misa. Beyond gave him a serum infused with a wolf's DNA. The chemicals it was mixed with allowed the DNA to fuse with L's own, and over time, turned L into what he is now. If I'm correct in my analysis of his actions, he thinks like a wolf- the pack mentality, the rankings of those in the pack, the submissive and aggressive posturing- all of these imply that he doesn't process things as a human now. He's obviously more dangerous than a dog, and you need to be careful around him," Light explained patiently to Misa over L's growling.

"So what are you gonna do?" Misa asked.

"There might be a way to fix him," Light replied. "If I can retrieve the things I need… I might not be able to reverse the process right away, but I might be able to correct his mental state. In the meantime, Misa, I need you to stay away from the Task Force, at least for the time being. We're going to be working to return L back to normal, and I really don't want any distractions at the moment, alright?"

* * *

There had been some complications, but they had been quickly solved, luckily.

Now, all that was left to do was wait, wait for the next step to be completed, although, from what had been seen already, it most likely wouldn't take long. The pieces were falling into place, and it was very pleasing.

Perhaps it was a sign that what was being done was right…?

Whatever it was, it was ready and now, the object only had to re-acquired for it to be put to use.

And then… then, once that was done, the plan could move forwards, and it would be perfect. Revenge for years of wasted time, wasted genius- the dream was very soon to become a reality, and the thought was sweet, so sweet.

* * *

Edited version uploaded 4/7/13


	7. The Better to Trust You With

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

"Watari…"

The older man turned as Light approached him, L, as usual, trailing along. Watari's heart clenched at seeing L like this- it wasn't right, what Beyond had done, and he only wished that he could have kept L safer, done something about Beyond.

He had thought that prison was impenetrable- he had been assured it was one of the safest in the country and that was why he had chosen to put Beyond there. He had obviously misunderstood Beyond's thirst for revenge, though, and now L was paying for his grievous miscalculation.

He was thankful for Light, though. If it wasn't for him and his persistence in searching for L, he would most likely have never been found. And even if he had, L would have remained locked up in that room, as no one would have dared to go near him.

Not even Watari had dared to without his tranquilizer gun, and that in itself had nearly broken Watari's heart.

But it was good to see L walking around, out of the cell, even if it hurt him to see L in his altered state.

He was simply thankful that L didn't show any hostility towards him- he hadn't been sure if he could take it if L had done so, after all the years of taking care of him.

And L's heirs… he had told them a year ago that L had gone missing, and that Light was the new L. Mello had been upset, but Near... well, Near was, and always had been, more complicated. Watari was certain that he was upset over the loss of L, but Near was rather like L in the fact that he chose to keep his emotions hidden under the surface. Rather than expressing what he felt openly, he had simply asked if Light was up to the job- if he was worthy of taking over L's title and honoring the letter.

He had explained Light's fervor in finding L, and that seemed to calm Mello somewhat and appease Near. If this Light was doing all they could to retrieve their idol, then they approved.

Although… Watari's heart sank at the thought of having to explain L's alterations and state of mind to his successors. That… was not a conversation he was looking forwards to.

He looked to L, seeing the wolfish detective examining him from behind Light with curiosity in his yellow eyes, seeing the alterations and thought of all the explaining he would have to do- but that was a thought for later. Think of that later, deal with L now.

"Yes, Light?" Watari said politely, seeing the young man fidget somewhat before him. L looked at Watari curiously, rising his nose to sniff in Watari's general area. Light, however, didn't notice this, seeing as L was situated behind him.

"I… ah… I was curious if there were any bathtubs of the sort in the building. My room only has a shower, so…" Light trailed off, shrugging sheepishly. "L needs a bath, and-" he cut himself off as he realized that L wasn't doing anything in regards to Watari.

Brows furrowing, he turned around, glancing at L speculatively and only then saw the former detective regarding Watari with curiosity, and if he read it right, confusion. "What…?" Light murmured, before burying his forehead in his hand. "I don't understand you sometimes, L. You attempt to kill the Task Force, Misa, and myself, then not kill Misa-I still haven't figured that one out- and now, you don't do anything to him… Fuck you, B, for putting me through this, dammit."

"If I may, sir," Watari interjected, making Light look up, frustration evident in his eyes. "It may be because he recognizes me subconsciously."

Light raised an eyebrow at this. "Why would he remember you and not me?"

"Because I've been with him for much longer than you have, Light. I took him in when he was but six years old, and have been with him constantly since that time. He has only known the Task Force for a little over a year- less, if you take away the time he was in Beyond's hands."

Light nodded speculatively as Watari finished, glancing back at L. "You…may be right," Light admitted. It made sense, certainly. In a way, Light was relieved; he didn't know how much more he could stand from L's claws and teeth- and right on that note, his chest and arm gave a vicious throb as the thought called attention back to them, and he almost cursed.

"Anyway, Watari," Light sighed. "Is there a bath around? I can't, in good conscience, leave L like he is," and gestured to L's bloodstained clothes and hair. "He's filthy, and keeps trying to lick the blood off. He may be somewhat of a carnivore, but he's still human, and it's wrong to let him ingest human blood. Speaking of which," Light continued, "we need to figure out what he'll eat. I'm sure he won't go for sugar anymore…"

Watari listened carefully to what Light said, making mental notes of what he needed to do. "I can contact some people and get some food options here, Light. We can take care of that then. As for a bath…" Watari stroked his mustache contemplatively. "He didn't install any baths in his room simply because he did to believe he would have time for such a luxury- he never has, in fact."

* * *

As it turned out, Watari was more than willing to let Light use his own bath for the purpose of washing L. It was a large bathtub, quite luxurious and perfect for relaxing in- no doubt one of Watari's hobbies when he had some free time on his hands. He was also kind enough to offer to switch rooms with Light, so that he wouldn't have to wash L and then attempt to get a wet L back to their room. Light gratefully accepted the offer, and Watari went off to find new bedcovers to put on his bed and start moving L and Light's clothes to his room.

As such, the switch and use of the bathtub suited Light's purpose perfectly, and he walked in, towels and shampoo in hand, L following closely behind him. Light set the things down on the floor next to the tub and turned, locking the door behind him before turning to L, who was perusing the new surroundings carefully, ears perked up in interest.

Light shook his head as he put his hands on his hips and gazed at L, not sure how he should proceed. He let his eyes travel down the length of the detective's body, taking in the rips and tears of the bloodstained clothes.

It seemed wrong to just approach L and start stripping him- and Light admitted, he didn't know how L would respond to that. Deciding to just get on with it and be done with it, Light unthinkingly gestured for L to come to him, before realizing that L wouldn't understand.

But Light was shocked as L blinked once before gliding over to stand in front of him, standing silently and waiting.

Light's mind whirled as he processed this new turn of events, thinking back to what B had said-

_…able to understand and complete simple tasks- anything I ask, he does._

A wave of excitement grew in Light as he realized what this could mean. I f he could get L to start understanding simple commands, then it would be so much easier to get L what he wanted him to do.

But right after thinking that, an equal amount of guilt rose up to build in Light's stomach. What he was planning- it was almost the same as training L, like some sort of… of… _pet._

With a sense of horrified guilt, Light realized that his thought process regarding L's behavior had almost been the same as B's way of thinking. What the hell was he doing, thinking of fucking training L?! He was no pet to be taught tricks and to stay! Remorse filled him as he stared at L, unable to hold the yellow-black gaze.

L gave a small whine, no doubt sensing Light's distress, and flattened his ears. Light shook the thought off and sighed, gazing at L with some sadness.

This situation was all fucked up, and he was sick of it. He wanted L, goddamn it, not this animal-like mockery of him. But he immediately felt bad as soon as he thought that- this was L, for all intents and purposes, and it would do no good comparing this L to the old one, when it wasn't L's fault this had happened in the first place.

L's whine brought his attention back to the figure in front of him, and shaking his head, Light returned his attention back to the task at hand.

Clean L, and then he could begin plans to go back to the warehouse and get the blueprints for the microchip. Right. The sooner he got this done with, the sooner he could focus on fixing L.

Nodding to himself, Light stood up straighter and gestured for L to come closer, squishing the small pang of guilt as he did so. He would regard this as a necessary evil; if he could get L to listen to him better with small commands such as this, then he would do so.

Still, he couldn't help but be pleased when L, still looking a bit unsure, nonetheless stepped closer until he was about a foot away from Light.

Light nodded. "Good." He then reached out, L stiffening but still not moving.

Tentatively, Light grasped ahold of the bottom of the ripped shirt with both hands and pulled upwards, L's eyes opening almost comically wide as the shirt slid up slowly, until it reached just under his chin. It got a bit stuck, but with a hard jerk, Light was able to get the shirt up and over L's torso, although L growled irritably when it twisted his ears painfully.

Light ignored this, running his eyes over L's bared chest, eyes narrowing as he saw the numerous scars that littered his chest. Almost disbelievingly, he reached out to run his hand over a long one that trailed over L's ribs, starting right under his pectoral muscle and running down his vertebrochondral ribs, the last three ribs of the torso. It was jagged and thick, almost as if it had been made by claw marks…

Another two scars, matching the thick one that had caught Light's attention, ran parallel to it and in the middle of the three scars, a small, raised bump of a scar rose, almost as if…

A sudden shock of realization hit Light, and anger, hot and swift, surged through him. The circular scar looked to be the same wound that occurred when an intravenous IV had been harshly torn out- no doubt by a terrified, furious L. He must have clawed an IV out of his chest at one time, hurting himself in the process.

Light's eyes narrowed to angry slits as his eyes ran over the rest of L's torso, assessing and cataloguing the damage. The parallel marks were the worst ones, and the rest were clean lines, as if they had been caused by a knife.

It was no doubts Beyond's doing, either as an intent to torture or "train" L. The thought only made him furious, and unknowingly, his hand pressed harder against the long-healed scar, causing L to whine and his ears twitch in  
uncertainty at the anger emanating off of Light.

Shaking his head, Light let sis hands drop from L's torso and turned away, bringing his hand to his head and closing his eyes, attempting to calm himself down and dispel the hot anger that ran through him at the sight of L's scars. He should not have had to suffer through this- L didn't deserve to end up like this, not after all the good he had done.

A small nudge to his shoulder made him look back, seeing L staring at him uncertainly, face right next to his shoulder. He must have nudged him with his nose, and the owlish behavior only made Light sigh and shake his head. "I'm truly sorry this happened, L," Light told him, turning to face the wolfish detective once more. L wouldn't understand him, but that was alright.

L only cocked his head at Light's words, and Light smiled bitterly. It was sad, seeing how far L had fallen from he ingenious detective he had used to be. Nevertheless, he shook his head, dispelling the useless thoughts. It would do him no good at this moment.

Speculatively, he eyed the half-naked detective standing patiently, wondering how to get the pants off of L without it becoming awkward. L obviously couldn't do it himself- the claws that adorned his hands were of no use in completing more delicate tasks such as unbuttoning and unzipping pants, and Light highly doubted that L would understand what Light was trying to get him to do should he gesture for the detective to take the black pants off.

There really was only one option.

_But I've done more intimate things than this with L in the past day,_ Light thought, bracing himself. _Taking off L's pants shouldn't be too bad, in comparison._

He gestured for L to stay put as the detective stiffened when Light reached his hands out, intending on completing the task ahead of him. Trying again, he slowly stretched out his hands, L watching him cautiously as Light's hands came to rest on his slender waist, trying to get L used to the touch.

Light was relieved when no negative moments came from L at the contact, and cautiously, Light slid his hands down until they rested on the waistband of the black, ripped pants. His hands smoothed over ridges of scar tissue on the way down, threatening to incite his anger at L's treatment once more, but he ignored it and focused on what he was doing, although the feeling of L's smooth, surprisingly soft skin was distracting, nearly diverting his attention.

L's torso and navel area was shockingly hairless, which Light found surprising, given that his DNA had been bonded with a wolf's, an exceedingly hairy animal. The expanse of L's upper torso was bare of any hair, exposing pale skin littered with scars that had faded to silvery ridges over time.

Flicking his eyes up, Light saw no sign of anything other than watchful wariness in L's yellow eyes, so he took this as a good sign and swiftly unbuttoned L's pants, closing his eyes and turning away as he caught a glimpse of surprisingly curly, coarse black pubic hair. Still not looking, he quickly unzipped the pants and started to tug them down, but his eyes flew open as his fingers brushed against something soft and warm and definitely not hair. The contact and knowing what, exactly, he was touching caused him to freeze in shock.

L didn't react other than to set out a small yelp of surprise at the contact, and Light surmised it was because wolves were not as touchy about having their genital areas touched as humans. However, it was only done as a means of identification or submissive/dominance posturing or during mating seasons for the animals, and as Light was doing none of these, it must have come as somewhat of a shock for L.

Light averted his eyes once more and with a few hard tugs, finished the task, the pants finally pooling to the ground at L's oddly-shaped feet. Gently, he lifted first one, and then the other foot, tugging the ripped pants off and tossing them to the side.

Then, for the first time, he turned and looked at the now fully-naked L, attempting to ignore the fact that it was _L_ that was standing naked in front of him, and instead, trying to see if there were any wounds he had gotten. There were some red lines running over his thighs and a couple over his chest, but they were not deep nor bleeding. L had not clawed himself badly; it seemed as if he had had enough presence of mind not to hurt himself overly much while clawing the restraints off.

Sighing, Light nodded to himself, turning away to the tub. "Alright. Water, soap… I can do this," he muttered. It would be awkward, having to wash his friend like this, but it was necessary.

He reached out and turned the water on, adjusting the knobs until warm water flowed from the tap. Looking around, he located a bar of soap and a bristle-brush, and set them to the side for easy access, along with a bottle of  
shampoo.

He felt a nudge from his shoulder and turned his head to see L eyeing the water warily, ears flattening back and his face twisting in a grimace. Confused, Light turned off the water since the tub was almost full and turned back to L, crossing his arms.

"What now?" Light questioned, and L just looked at the water, to Light, and to the water once more before backing off, yellow eyes wide.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, don't tell me you're afraid of water," Light mumbled, uncrossing his arms and taking a step towards L. The detective immediately took a step backwards, letting out a distressed-sounding snarl and narrowing his eyes at Light.

He stopped, looking at L, really taking him in. Everything about his tense, taut body screamed his fear, and his ears were flattened back, fear glinting in his yellow eyes. Confused, Light thought back to the year before, when L hadn't been taken by Beyond. He had heard the water in their shower running more than once while they were forced to share a room, and the fact that L was usually clean was a testament to the fact that L did indeed, take showers.

So why the fear now? L hadn't been afraid of water before…

Beyond.

Clarity hit Light suddenly, and he let out a groan laced with anger. That bastard, Beyond. He had probably done something to L involving water to make him fear it. Waterboarding or simulated drowning, perhaps? It was probably a fear tactic to make L obey him- but whatever it was, it had left L with a fear of water, which was something he didn't want to deal with right now.

He was going to kill the psycho, really, he was.

"Look, L," Light said, and one of L's ears flicked up in response to hearing the familiar letter. Light stepped to the tub of water and dipped a hand in it, L's yellow eyes watching his hand with a mixture of fear and fascination. "It's not going to hurt you, L." He swirled his hand around, dipping his whole arm into it before pulling it out to show L that nothing had happened.

"See? It's fine," Light said reassuringly, before standing up and holding his wet arm out to L. "Come here, and see for yourself."

L's ears perked up at the 'come here,' and still eyeing the bathtub distrustfully, he still came forwards, and when he was within range, Light quickly leaned forwards and wiped the water from his arm over L's face.

The detective let out a howl and jumped backwards in an attempt to get away from the feared substance, wiping frantically with the pads of his hands in a futile attempt to wipe away the water. Light only watched, and after a moment his patience was rewarded.

L calmed when he realized nothing was happening, and he brought his hands away from his face and looked around, blinking down at his wet hands. Tentatively, he raised a hand up and licked at the droplet of water streaking down his hand, cocking his head to the side as nothing bad happened.

Light smiled reassuringly and gestured for L to come over to him. "See, L? You're fine. You can trust me, L."

L glanced once more at the tub of water before going over to Light, more confidently this time. Gently and slowly, Light reached out and grasped ahold of L's clawed hand, marveling at the roughness of skin. Distracted momentarily, Light turned the hand over, trailing his fingers over the palm of L's hand and marveling at what he found. It seemed as of L had slight pads on his hands, the skin thicker and rougher than normal skin, almost like the pads that canines and felines had on the bottom of their feet. While not as thick and discolored as an animal's, the pads were still most likely very tough, and Light doubted that many things could hurt L's hands- or feet, since he assumed L had the same pads on the bottom of his feet.

He looked at L's hand for a moment more before turning it over once more gently tugging on it to force L to take a step closer to him.

L was so close to him, Light could feel the heat radiating off of L, and smell the slightly coppery scent that L had about him from the dried blood on his body and hair. It relit the warm tingles in his stomach, but Light ignored them and still grasping L's hand, stretched it out towards the water, tugging more firmly when L tried to resist.

He forced the hand down into the water, and although L let out a distressed whine as his hand drew near the water, Light continued to force it down until L's hand and the water made contact.

L froze as his hand touched the water, head tilting back and ears flattened right against this skull, breathing heavily and eyes wide and dilated in fear. Light felt a little twinge of guilt, but immediately quashed it. He needed L to trust him and get over his fear of the water if he was to progress into actually getting L cleaned up, and the only way to do that was to get L comfortable with the water, even if he reacted like this.

Still, it bothered him to see L reacting like this, so he reached out with his free hand to gently run his hand over L's blood crusted hair, grimacing a bit as little flecks of blood stuck to his hand. But it seemed to calm L down somewhat, as he untensed slightly and hi breathing grew steadier, which Light took as a good sign and continued his petting motions. "See? You're fine, L. Calm down, huh?" Light said soothingly, and eventually, L's ear relaxed, coming back up and he wiggled his fingers slightly, as if testing the water.

His head came forwards and tilted down to regard the water curiously, eyes watching the ripples that formed with his fingers' movements. Light sighed in relief as L relaxed fully, dipping his hand more in the water experimentally, flicking it around a few times.

Light smiled and stopped petting L's head, bringing his hand down to flick at the water, getting some on L. He snorted, shaking his head, black spikes whipping from side to side as he did so.

Chuckling slightly, Light released L's hand and straightened, smiling. L had time to glance up at him before Light scooped him up and dropped him into the water, L yelping in shocked surprise as his body hit the water. It wasn't deep enough to completely submerge L, and Light hadn't tossed him in, so there wasn't too big of a splash, although Light did get a bit wet.

L froze, looking down at the water he was sitting in, hair wet and slicked down, ears soggy and drooping. He bent his head down to shake some of the water out of his hair, and Light recoiled as some of it got onto him. "Ugh! L!" He shook his head and glared at L, who was tilting his head to the side, trying to get water out of his ear.

His head was tilted away from Light, allowing him to see something that had gone previously unseen. Starting at L's hairline, a thick stripe of black fur ran down the middle of L's back, ending at the base of his spine, where L's bushy, coarse black tail protruded. Curious, Light reached out and ran a finger down the line of hair, provoking a little shiver from L and causing his spine to arch and a low, pleased growl to rumble from his chest.

It was the same texture as L's tail- coarse and thick, sticking up slightly. Curious at the reaction his action had provoked, Light did it again, running his fingers over the fur, sown L's back. His tail waved slightly in the water- not a wag, but a pleased motion, nonetheless. Light smiled, amused.

L seemed to have forgotten about his fear of water, and taking advantage of the fact, he reached out to grab the bar of soap and bristle brush, wetting both of them by dipping them in the water. He lathered up the brush and set the soap off to the side, then slowly reached out and ran the bristles gently over L's skin.

He froze at the contact, whipping his head around to eye Light and the brush curiously and then reached out to nudge at the rush experimentally before huffing and turning back around. Taking this as acquiescence, Light ran the brush over L's skin, scrubbing the blood and filth off of the skin as gently as he could.

The water grew filthy as he worked, and he had to re-lather the brush up a few more times, but he finally had all of L washed. The genital area had been slightly awkward to wash, as he had to use his hands and soap, as the bristle brush was too harsh to use over the sensitive area, but L didn't react to the contact, luckily. As Light had suspected before, wolves didn't regard the touching of the genital areas as anything intimate, because they were used for posturing and mating reasons. L didn't possess any of the awkwardness that a human did about the contact, because for him, it was nothing to be awkward over.

Light was thankful for small favors.

With much relief, he set aside the soap and brush, picking up the shampoo and pouring a glob into his hand, eyeing the mass of black hair and two ears with some indecision. He had to make sure not to get any water or shampoo in L's ears, as it would no doubt be very painful and uncomfortable. He'd just have to be very careful- but Light was glad that L had shown no aversion to his hair being touched before.

He rubbed his hands together, smearing the shampoo over his hands before setting them gently on top of L's head, starting to scrub them into L's wet hair with circular scrubbing motions. L leaned his head back, eyes closed and a relaxed expression on his face. L's ears were flattened back to prevent any substance form getting into them, and they blended with his hair. With his eyes closed and ears not noticeable, Light could almost pretend that L was back to normal, and not an animal in mind.

The atmosphere was relaxed, and Light continued washing L's hair, enjoying the feel of the silky strands in his fingers. The soapy foam soon turned red, but Light continued scrubbing, gently rubbing some of the foam on the outside of L's ears, rubbing it in the pad of his index finger.

It was with some reluctance that Light proclaimed L's hair clean. He cleaned off his hands in the water, and then reached over to the sink to grab a cup, turning the tap on low and filling the cup, rinsing the suds from L's hair. He popped the plug on the tub at the same time, allowing it to drain so that he could rinse L's body off. It took a while to clean all the dirty water and soap off of L's body, but he eventually did get all of it off, and he gestured for L to stay and stepped back, surveying his handiwork pleasedly.

No more blood was on L, and he looked clean and freshly washed- and smelt better as well. Nodding to himself, Light grabbed a few towels and set one on the ground, gesturing for L to step onto it.

L rose up from the tub and stepped onto the towel, dripping wet, with droplets streaking down his face. Frowning, L flicked an ear once before lowering his head, hunching over, and raising his tail.

Light was confused for a split second before he realized what L was about to do. "No! L! Don't-!" was all Light had time to say before L shook, water flying from his body and onto the surrounding surfaces- and Light.

He looked up as the torrent of water abated, seeing L standing there, regarding him calmly. He looked down at his pants- the front was splattered with water, and sighing, he looked up at L. "See what you've done? Idiot," L said, with no real vehemence.

Well, he had to get changed anyway…

Shaking his head, Light grabbed a towel, going over to L and starting to towel him off. L didn't resist, and Light was gladdened to think that perhaps it was because L was coming to trust him more-it was a nice thought, and Light let a small smile tug at his lips as he rubbed the towel down L's spine, drying the black strip of fur off.

L was letting out little growling sounds as Light did this, his tail waving from side to side and tilting his body side to side in an effort to get Light to rub the towel where he wanted it. Light quirked an eyebrow at this, and rubbed harder, L's volume increasing.

It was almost… cute, in a way, although the presence of L's deadly claws served as a constant reminder that L was still a force to be reckoned with.

Light carefully rubbed L's ears, toweling off his head, and then stepped back, surveying L. His body was clean, although his hair and fur was still slightly damp, spiking up in little tufts. L snorted and gave a little shake, laying the damp fur to rest, and then looked to Light, waiting.

He took off his own pants and toweled himself off, then threw the dirty clothes and towel in the hamper, and L's ripped clothes in the trash. They were both naked, but Light figured that it really didn't matter- L didn't care if they wore clothes or not- it might actually be more natural for L. Deciding not to bother with it, Light shrugged and opened the door, L perking up as it came open.

"Alright, L. Come on," Light said, gesturing for him to come, and L gratefully swept through the door, pausing once he got t the middle of the room to look back at Light.

While he was washing L, Watari must have come- the sheets were changed and the bedcovers turned down and the closet was open, L and Light's clothes hanging up. He felt a bit bad for having to switch rooms with Watari, but assured himself that it would be easier to deal with L this way. The bed was king-sized, Light noted, although it didn't matter- L would most likely choose to sleep on the floor, anyways.

"L," Light called, and the detective turned to him, watching him curiously. "We're going to bed- I don't know what you're going to do," Light mused, "but I suppose you can sleep on the floor, or do whatever- it doesn't matter to me."

L's eyes remained on him as Light went and crawled onto the bed, snuggling into the bedcovers, sighing in relief- the soft bed felt good to relax into, soothing his tired muscles- it had been a long day, and his fights with L hadn't helped his body any- his whole body had started to ache, and his wounds started to throb again.

L was still standing in the middle of the room, his eyes flicking around the room, and figuring that L would figure something out, Light reached out to turn the lamp off, enveloping the room in darkness. He nestled down into the sheets, letting out ta deep breath as he pressed his head down into the soft pillow.

He turned over, closing his eyes, and was just drifting off to sleep when the sound of nearly-silent padding reached his ears. He frowned in the dark, listening to the sound of L walking around, hearing it come closer.

Suddenly, the bed dipped, shaking a bit, and then Light felt the press of a warm body against his back, and coarse fur brushing against his cheek.

Confused, Light sat up and turned the lamp on, blinking as he saw L. He had come onto the bed and curled up, his back to Light's own and the back of his head brushing Light's. L's head perked up as the Light came on, and he looked up over his shoulder, regarding Light intently.

And then, Light realized- wolves often slept together, curled up against each other in the wild, and L was just following his instincts- sleeping next to Light, who was part of his pack. Knowing what L was doing now, Light sat, eyeing L. He was curled up in a ball, tail resting over his legs, and hands resting flat on the bed in front of his face. His tail flicked once, before he leaned up and licked Light's nose, then pulled back with a small, wolfish grin on his face, showcasing his canines.

Light stared at L, blinking in shock, before tentatively smiled back, reaching out to run his hand gently through L's hair. L dipped his head once, then he rested his head back down and curled up tighter, tail tightening around  
his legs and he closed his eyes, huffing once.

Light looked at for a second more before closing she eyes and shaking his head. "Goodnight, L," Light said quietly, turning off the lamp and laying down once more, feeling somehow safe and content with L curled up next to him, breathing softly.

* * *

Edited version uploaded 4/7/13


	8. The Better to Understand You With

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Light slowly awoke to the feeling of something wet on his nose. Confused, he groggily opened his eyes, blinking a few times- and then shot straight up as something warm, wet, and smooth licked his cheek. Recoiling, he frantically wiped at his face, grimacing in disgust. He eyed L, who was just sitting up, ears perked and watching Light intently.

The detective had just licked him. Licked him. Gross- he didn't know where L's tongue had been lately and he frankly didn't want to know.

"L!" he exclaimed, annoyed. "That's disgusting."

L only sat back on his haunches, dipping his head and giving Light a wolfy grin, tongue coming out to lick his lips a few times.

Dropping his hand, Light eyed L for a few moments before shaking his head. "You can't just go around licking people, L. It's gross and unsanitary," Light scolded, slpping out of the bed and making his way to the closet. After a bit of internal debate, he pulled out a set of clothes for himself and tossed them onto the bed.

L let out a yelp as the clothes came flying at him and leaped off the bed, curling his legs under him and using them to propel himself onto the middle of the floor, landing with his hands on the floor first, followed by his legs.

It was far leap, and Light stared, amazed at the distance that L had crossed so easily. The detective crouched in the middle of the floor in his seemingly preferred position, one hand resting across his crouched knees, and the other braced on the ground. He let out an annoyed huff at Light, flattening his black ears back.

"Calm down, L." Light rolled his eyes, turning back to the closet. He reached out, before hesitating as he perused the clothes hanging up. L's clothes all consisted of his old ones- baggy jeans and long-sleeved, white shirts. He glanced back at L, who was watching him interestedly, yellow eyes alert.

God, those eyes still startled him, even though he had thought he had started to get used to them. Turning back to the closet, he hesitatingly passed over L's shirts and chose a one from his own selection- a simple black, short-sleeved shirt. He thought L might be more comfortable in something less constricting without long sleeves. However, he'd give L the baggy jeans- they were probably more comfortable than the more fitted slacks Light usually wore.

He pulled a pair off the hangar and tossed them onto the bed as well, before going to the bathroom to take care of his morning needs. He motioned for L to follow him, and the detective eyed the door warily before following Light in hesitatingly.

Guess he still had a slight fear of the bath, then.

Once in, Light brushed his teeth, and briefly considered doing the same for L's teeth, before he eyed the detective's sharp canines and decided against it in order to preserve his fingers. Teaching L how to use the bathroom facilities was slightly more tricky, but Light felt that L had gotten the hang of it after demonstrating and then helping L do it himself. He remained distant through the whole ordeal, treating it as a necessity- taking care of a child, perhaps.

Still, it was with relief that Light opened the door and went back into the bedroom, L following after him, as always. Light quickly dressed himself, then picked up the baggy jeans he had chosen for L and gestured the detective over. He came quickly, eyeing the jeans and Light's new clothes with some curiosity.

Light ran his eyes over L's form, wondering how he was to get the pants onto L, before finally shrugging and kneeling down in front of him.

L's yellow eyes grew wide as Light grabbed ahold of L's oddly-shaped foot and jerked the first leg of the jeans over L's foot. The crookedness of the canine-shaped foot made it somewhat difficult, and Light accidentally jerked too hard while trying to get the jeans on, because L gave a loud yelp and fell to the floor, landing on his side.

L pushed himself up, eyes wide in shock and stared at Light, flicking his eyes down at his held foot and back at Light. He flattened his ears back and let out a small whine before trying to get back to his feet, clawed hands scraping at the carpet. He wasn't sure why his alpha had brought him down to the ground- he had done nothing wrong!

"Calm down, L," Light growledin exasperation, giving a good tug on L's foot, feeling the rough pads on the bottom scrape against his fingers, thicker and rougher than the ones on L's hands. So he was right, then. He doubted anything could get through the thick pads of skin on L's feet.

L stopped and looked back at Light before lowering his head, his tail pressing flat against his legs, regarding Light with a wary and fearful gaze. He was unsure of what Light, his alpha, was going to do next, but being brought down to the ground like that often did not bode well.

"Jesus," Light breathed, shaking his head as he loosened his grip on L's leg, yet not letting go. L was looking at him like he was afraid Light was going to eat him, or something.

Eat him…. The mental words brought thoughts to mind that created a steady, warm thrum in Light's stomach, and he quickly, pushed them way, not daring to look up further than L's leg to prevent certain thoughts from going further in his mind. It was insane, this…attraction… that Light was beginning to foster towards his friend, this detective, and it felt so wrong.

L was an animal; perhaps not fully physically, but he was mentally. Light refused to even _try_ something while L was like this- the thought of doing anything with L while he was in this state sent a ripple of disgust through him.

A unbidden through ran through his mind as he accidentally looked up, taking in the smooth lines of L's torso. _Maybe… once L was L once more…_

No. He stopped the thought before it could finish. He would not allow his unbidden desires to shatter their bond of friendship. He didn't know what had caused this sudden build- up of warm feelings whenever he had L close to him, but he refused to allow it to go any further.

With hurried movements, he jerked the pants over L's crooked feet bones and pulled them up, in a rush to get this over with. L's proximity was causing him to have thoughts that he didn't want to dwell further upon, and he also felt guilty for scaring L by grabbing his foot and bringing him down like that- he wouldn't want to be restrained in such a manner, either.

Seeing L still glancing at him fearfully, Light let out a long breath and reached out to ruffle L's hair, running the pads of his fingers over the outside of L's black, coarse-furred ears. The coarseness of the fur contrasted sharply with the smoothness of L's flyaway hair, although he was somewhat glad- L's ears, when flattened back were easily lost among the thicket of black hair, so the contrast allowed Light to distinguish between what was hair and what was fur.

Eventually, L relaxed, and Light was able to reach down and adjust L's pants over his sharp hips before zipping and buttoning them up. L wriggled a bit as the pants contracted over his hips, and remembering, Light reached around and gently pulled L's black tail over the hem of the jeans, letting it free. L stopped wriggling and moved his tail experimentally up and down, his yellow eyes taking on a distinctly more pleased look, making Light smile in relief and stand up, reaching over to the bed to grab the black shirt.

L huffed, shaking his head as soon as Light released him and he swiftly stood to his feet, looking down at his new clothes. L frowned in displeasure at the pants covering his legs and growled softly.

"Hush, L," Light muttered, coming over to L with the shirt. "Complaining isn't going to help you any."

L flicked an ear at Light's words and swiveled his head to look at the shirt in Light's hands. He narrowed his yellow eyes at it and curled a lip at the black item.

Light, annoyed at L's behavior, growled in irritation, stepping forwards and holding up the shirt. L stopped immediately, eyes widening at Light's dominant personality and averting his head to the side submissively.

Light nodded, pleased, and moved forwards to raise grasp first one, then the other of L's arms and slide them through the short sleeves of the shirt, careful to avoid contact between L's sharp claws and the fabric of the shirt. Ripping the shirt would render it useless, and Light didn't want to bother having to put another shirt onto L.

He tugged the collar of the shirt over L's head, brushing L's ears back first, making sure not to bend the ears painfully.

He adjusted the shirt, making sure it fell into place on L's torso and stepped back, L raising his head to glare at Light balefully as he did so. Light just rolled his eyes. "I know you don't like clothes, L, but I can't have you wandering around naked, can I?"

_But I suppose I could, _Light mused thoughtfully. _We're all males here… well, except Misa, _he amended.

No, he couldn't have L walk around nude when Misa was in here, and though they all were males, he doubted that any of the team members would be pleased with Light if he simply allowed L to walk around sans clothes.

But shoes… Light glanced down at L's crookedly-shaped feet, considering them. No normal shoe would fit onto L's feet- maybe a boot, but shoving L's feet into them would hurt. And there was really no point in putting shoes onto the detective. He went around barefoot, anyway, and the pads of the feet were thick enough to act as shoes themselves. L's feet wouldn't be getting hurt anytime soon.

_There's not much else that can be done,_ Light thought, sweeping his eyes over the fully-dressed, wolfish detective. _I guess… we should head down. _Light's stomach rumbled quietly at that moment, making Light blink. _If I'm hungry, then I'm sure he is, as well. I don't know the last time Beyond gave him food…_

Beyond. Shit. He needed to see Beyond and question him some more, but with L being his constant shadow… Maybe Watari or his father could keep L for him. L seemed to regard them with respect- not as much as he did towards his alpha, but still, enough that L seemed likely to listen to the two.

Deciding on that course, Light nodded to himself and headed towards the door, L shaking himself quickly to readjust the clothes and his fur before swiftly following Light out.

* * *

The building that L had constructed in the early days of the Kira investigation did have a kitchen; it was only used by Watari, though, to prepare meals for the members when they stayed later than they should have, or before L was kidnapped, to make any sweets that he couldn't buy.

Light made his way to the kitchen to find Watari waiting for him, Light's usual breakfast already ready.

Since L's kidnapping and his subsequent taking over as "L," his mother and sister had been informed of the whole situation- his status as a Kira suspect, the clearing of his name, who he was working under, and how L came to be kidnapped and his taking over L's title. While shocked at first, the two women had quickly understood the situation and Light had made the headquarters into his semi-permanent residence, until he had found L.

Watari was the one who prepared Light's meals and handled his cases, keeping his status as "L's" caretaker, although Light managed better for himself than L did. He was simply not used to depending on another for everything, as L had been.

But it was still nice not to have to prepare his own toast and coffee in the morning, his customary meal. As hungry as he found himself to be in the mornings, it was a welcome revelation to find that his breakfast was already prepared- the toast and coffee still hot- and waiting for him.

But he ignored his own hunger as he saw L's eyes narrow and his head raise, sniffing the air to detect the scents of food issuing from the room. _He probably hasn't eaten for a longer period of time than I have,_ Light thought, and ignored the toast in favor of addressing Watari.

"Watari," Light asked, "have you figured out L's food?"

"I have, sir," Watari confirmed, going over to the fridge and pulling out a large slab of thawed steak. It dripped blood onto the ground, but Watari maneuvered it onto a plate, setting it into the oven which Light saw was already heated up and then washed his hands, talking as he did so. "I contacted the branch of the local zoo that deals with the larger carnivores after taking care of the room switch last night. I was informed that they fed their wolves a special carnivore diet, which consists of mostly ground beef and beef heart, and is infused with vitamins, minerals, and other proteins as well. I told them that I was interested in starting a zoo in our area as a cover, and they offered to get me in contact with their supplier, but I declined. I would not want L to be eating something meant for animals."

"I understand, Watari," Light said. "So, you got him something else?" He gestured to oven that the meat was in, seeing L eye the oven he knew the meat had went into, licking his lips as he did so in a gesture that was purely predatory.

Watari rinsed his soapy hands, nodding. "Yes. After hanging up with the zoo, I called the local butcher's shop. I was aware that L, as he is now, would not want to eat the food he used to before Beyond kidnapped him. Instead, I've set it up for 2¼ pounds of meat to be delivered daily, in three cuts each weighing ¾ pounds. This will serve as L's breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. However," Watari continued, drying his hands and pulling out a large white bottle from beneath the counter and opening it to show that it was filled with white powder, "a teaspoon of this will need to be sprinkled over the meat you feed him- once again, three times a day."

"What is it?" Light asked, watching as Watari set down the bottle and opened the oven. He pulled out the steak, still raw, but steaming slightly, obviously very hot and transferred it from the plate to a large cutting board waiting on the counter.

L wouldn't want to eat cold meat, Light realized. Wolves in the wild ate freshly-killed, still warm meat that was recently killed. While Watari couldn't provide that, he could simulate the warmth a fresh kill would provide, and Light was struck by the thoughtfulness and care that Watari had put into this. No doubt it was hard to see the person that Watari had cared for be reduced to this, but he was trying his best to adjust and care for L as well as he could.

He watched as Watari scooped out some of the white powder and sprinkled it onto the steak, patting the powder in so that it was absorbed into the meat until it couldn't; be seen anymore.

"It's an extra-strength nutrient formula," Watari replied, washing his hands again. "It contains all the vitamins, nutrients, and minerals that the human body and mind needs to stay healthy, all combined in a balanced amount. It was what I had L take on a daily basis before he was kidnapped- how so you think he kept so healthy while eating what he did?" Watari asked, smiling. "When he was younger, he kept getting sick and began to have the shakes, along with numerous other health issues due to his sugary diet. His body was beginning to shut down because of the lack of essential nutrients and overflow of sugar. Eventually, I gave L an ultimatum- either subject himself to a balanced diet I provided for him, or let me put this powder into his sweets."

"This," Watari shook the bottle as he capped it, "is tasteless, odorless, and undetectable in its texture. However, it did help him greatly- he was surprised to notice the effects the powder had on him after a week of taking it, and he grudgingly admitted that I was right. His health and mental functions improved shortly after he began taking it. But it allowed him to stay healthy and still keep eating what he wanted, so he didn't complain."

Light blinked, disbelieving. "So that's how he stayed healthy…" he muttered. "I always did wonder…"

Watari nodded. "Yes, the ultimate secret. Of course, I'll have to change the contents now, because of his altered diet. I suspect that he won't be eating sugar anymore, so I'll have to include glucose in the formula, and take out the protein, because he'll be getting plenty of it. But otherwise, I'll keep it the same. A wolf's body doesn't need all those things- they get all of what they need in the wild. However, L's body his still human for the most part, so he needs the same things that a normal human does."

"Do you think eating raw meat will hurt him, though?" Light questioned, seeing L's eyes fix hungrily on the slab of meat, and he extended his neck to sniff in its direction, tail waving slowly behind him in an interested motion.

Watari shook his head. "No. After you brought L out of the cell, I managed to take a few samples of blood from the area before I had it cleaned. After a few tests, I was able to separate some of L's blood from the worker's that he attacked- and yours," Watari explained. After examining L's blood more closely, I compared it to a sample of a wolf's that we have on hand- we have blood samples from various predatory animals for cases in which the victim looked to be killed by an animal," Watari explained, seeing Light's confusion. "Sometimes, we need to discern if there was an animal at the scene, and blood testing is the best way to get it. Plus, blood is the best way besides hair or skin to get an animal's DNA. There have been times when saliva is apparent around the murder  
wound, and we need to DNA test the sample to discern what type of animal it was- or if it even was an animal. It's more logical to take a small droplet of blood from a large tube filled with it rather than keep a bundle of hairs from the animal lying around."

"Ah. I understand," Light nodded. "Go on."

"I compared L's blood to both a human and wolf's- Beyond, as much as I hate to admit it, did his job quite thoroughly and expertly. There are traces of certain antibodies in L's blood that are found in a wolf's but not a human's. It is these antibodies that prevent any disease or illness gained from eating raw meat from affecting the wolf."

"Which means that L won't get sick from eating raw meat," Light summed up.

"No," Watari said. "He'll be fine."

"I see," Light replied, before getting up and going to the counter, picking up the cutting board with the meat on it. He was reluctant to set it on the table, so instead set it on the tiled ground. While Light felt guilty making L eat on the ground, it was more reasonable. The floor was easier to clean up than the table, and Light had a feeling that L eating could get messy.

He gestured for L to come to him and he did, yellow eyes turning feral as he eyed the slab of bloody meat. His clawed fingers twitched as he crouched down a few feet away from it, eyes running over it briefly before flicking up to Light, watching him, seemingly waiting for him.

"What?" Light muttered, sliding the meat over closer to L. "Come on, I know you want it. I saw you eyeing it- don't stubborn, for fuck's sake…"

Watari coughed suddenly, making Light look up to him. L's eyes never wavered, remaining on Light.

"The zoo also informed me of some of the characteristics of a wolf's behavior- especially when operating within a pack."

"What do you mean?" Light asked, admittedly confused. He didn't like to admit it, but he was at a loss. It was obvious L desired to eat; he just didn't know why the detective wouldn't.

"Generally, in a pack, after bringing down their kill, the wolf pack is allowed to eat in order of their rank. The alpha male and female eats first, and after they begin eating, the next-ranking wolves-usually the females- come, followed by the rest of the pack." Watari looked at L, white eyebrows furrowing. "I think… he is waiting for you, his alpha, to start eating."

"You've got to be kidding me," Light muttered, eyeing the bloody piece of meat and the patiently waiting L crouched a few feet away.

* * *

L waited patiently after his alpha brought the meat. Instincts told him that he wasn't allowed to eat until after his alpha had started. Only then would he be allowed to approach and eat.

The bloody meat in front of him radiated an intoxicating smell, one his nose eagerly detected and picked up on. The scent made him lick his lips in anticipation, and he could sense the heat coming off from the meat in waves,  
signifying its freshness and tastiness.

His alpha wasn't doing anything, though, and L watched him patiently, waiting for him to start eating so that he could as well.

After a few moments, his alpha brought his head down and opened his mouth- how odd human's mouths were, no canines for tearing and ripping into meat- and took in a corner of the slab into his mouth.

* * *

Light almost gagged at the sickening smell of the raw meat, coppery and cloying, as he lowered his head. Closing his eyes in disgust, he opened his mouth and reluctantly took in a corner of the steak, wanting to vomit at the  
taste and texture of the raw meat in his mouth.

Nevertheless, knowing L wasn't going to eat unless he did this made him steel himself and he clamped his teeth firmly down onto a small piece of the corner, tearing a piece off with a sharp yank of his head. Pulling back, he was disturbed to feel rivulets of blood running down his chin, but he was able to push away the feeling and push the piece of raw meat under his tongue, pretending to chew and swallow.

He flicked his eyes up as he heard the soft scrape of padded feet against the floor and saw L sliding closer, no longer watching him, yellow eyes instead fixed predatorily on the steak.

Light slowly stood up and backed off, grateful beyond belief when Watari appeared next to him with a paper towel and glass of water. He took the paper towel and held it up to his mouth, letting the square of steak fall out from under tongue and onto the paper towel, quickly rolling it up and tossing it into the trash. He was handed the glass of water and quickly took a mouthful, swishing it around in his moth before spitting it into the sink, relief washing through him as the coppery tang of the raw meat was rinsed out.

"Fuck, that was nasty," Light gasped in disgust, wiping his chin with a moistened towel. Shaking his head, he handed off the towel to Watari and rinsed the glass out, setting it to the side.

"I think L would disagree with you," Watari chuckled, a small spark of mirth lighting in his eyes.

Looking over, Light saw L crouched in front of the meat, reaching out a clawed hand to press down on it before bending his head to sink his canines into the steak, tearing off a chunk and devouring it. Blood dripped onto the floor and smeared onto his chin and the tip of his nose. Little growling noises came from L as he ripped into the slab of meat, tearing it apart in sharp jerks of his head. His claws dug into the meat, holding it in place so that it wouldn't slide around and try to get away as L ate.

Light found this both oddly fascinating and disturbing at once, and sat down at the table, eating his own breakfast as L ate his. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him, watching intently as L devoured the meat messily, leaving behind the bone. With long licks, L cleaned up the blood and little scraps of meat left behind on the cutting board, before leaning down and taking the steak bone in-between his teeth.

Standing up, he backed a little ways away from the cutting board before crouching down, shifting until he laid on his side, legs tucked to his stomach and tail curled over his knees. L loosed his grip on the bone enough so that it slid to the floor, before grasping it between his hands and leaned down to chew on it, sharp canines and strong molars cracking through the hard bone.

Light watched in fascination and repulsion, before glancing over to Watari, who was steadfastly ignoring the spectacle and instead making his own breakfast. "Watari," Light said slowly and quietly. "I don't think that we should let the other members of the team see L eat. They're already unnerved by the changes in L- seeing him eat would only make them even more so."

Watari sighed and nodded. "I agree, Light."

A sharp crack resounded through the kitchen, making Light flinch and look to see that L had broken the bone cleanly in half, and was beginning to bite and gnaw on the first half.

* * *

"Light," Watari said, stopping Light as he went to get another cup of coffee, L having finished eating the first half of the steak bone and now steadfastly working on the second half. "There were some things that the zoo also saw fit to tell me about a wolf's behavior after I asked."

"Like what?" Light questioned, refilling his coffee cup.

"They need social interaction- they're a very pack and family-orientated animal, and need social contact with their pack members. They indulge constantly in play and the such- even alphas play with lesser members of the pack occasionally. This helps strengthen familial bonds within the pack. I admit, I'm worried what will happen if the urge to do so suddenly strikes L. he other members might not know that he is attempting to play with them and react accordingly."

"That…could become a problem," Light said, glancing at the still-chewing L. "Especially with his claws and teeth- he might cause damage to them accidentally."

Watari nodded. "Indeed. There were also other things the zoo informed me of, but I simply wrote them down, instead. And I made copies of them, as well as printing out general information about a wolf's psyche. I suggest that you hand them out to the team members, so that they will be better informed of how L's thought process works. It might make them more confident in dealing with L, and more comfortable with him."

"That's actually a very good idea, Watari," Light said, nodding. "I'll hand them out to the team and explain more when we go into the workroom."

Glancing over at L, Light saw that he had finished off the last of the bone and was licking the back of his hand, cleaning it off with long strokes of his tongue.

"I suppose that since L is finished, we should go," Light said reluctantly, setting aside his cup of coffee.

Watari nodded and reached over to the counter and grabbed a manila envelope, handing it to Light. "The information is in here," Watari told him.

"Thank you, Watari," Light said, opening the envelope and riffling through the papers in it. "This will be most useful."

"I hope so," Watari said. "And, do you want me to move Beyond into the interrogation room? You expressed a desire to talk with him once more, after getting L out of the cell."

"Yes. I need to talk to Beyond again. And make the necessary arrangements for our return trip to the warehouse. I hope to go later today- make sure that none of the police have disturbed the warehouse. I need to get the blueprint's location from Beyond, and if the police have moved anything around, that's only going to make everything harder."

"I understand; I'll do that right away." Watari glanced L, who had moved onto cleaning his face, using his long tongue to clean up the blood from his chin. "He has fallen quite far, hasn't he?" Watari asked sadly. "I suggest you get a towel and clean up the blood before you meet the others. The sight might disturb them."

Light nodded, sympathetic to the older man's feelings. "I'll make sure to do that, Watari. And don't worry," Light said reassuringly. "We'll find a way to get him back."

* * *

L hadn't taken kindly to having his face and arms wiped with a cold, wet towel, but Light had managed to clean all the blood from his body eventually.

He set the dirty towel on the table, not knowing what else to do with it, and then, sighing, grabbed the large manila envelope, started pulling out the papers as he left the kitchen, knowing L was right behind him.

The rest of the team was waiting when Light got to the computer room, and thought hey glanced at L warily, he made no move to do anything towards them and they relaxed.

"I'd like you all to take a look at these papers," Light addressed them, handing out a paper with the information to all 4 men in the room. "Watari was kind enough to gather this information, and I think it might help with the situation at hand."

"What situation?" Aizawa asked, taking the paper and scanning over the first few sentences, eyebrows raising.

"L." Light said simply, handing the last paper to his father before setting the manila envelope off to the side. "I know that his state is confusing to deal with and slightly frightening, based on what you've seen, so to help make you more comfortable being around him, Watari has given me this information on a wolf's psyche to distribute to you all."

They read over the papers in silence, looking up at L on occasion as they read something that caught their interest. L watched them all interestedly at first, but soon seemingly growing bored, he dropped into his crouch and shifted to lay on the ground on his side, hands tucked under his chin. His ears flattened slightly, relaxing, and his eyelids drooped, fluttering shut half-ways until they were at relaxed slits.

Light couldn't help but chuckle at the sight and L flicked an ear once at the sound.

"So…" Aizawa finally broke the silence, looking up from the paper. "Basically, we just treat him as an actual wolf, go around our business as normal, and if he takes interest in us, act submissive towards him because we're of a lower ranking in his mind?"

Light nodded. "And if he jumps at you suddenly, don't panic- he's just trying to play. Wolves play like boys do- they wrestle and roll around on the ground, although wolves do use their teeth and other advantages as well. But he won't hurt you- wolves are very caring animals towards their packmates, so he'll be careful enough not to break the skin or harm you seriously."

"Wow," Matsuda said, looking up. "This is actually really fascinating. I mean, I know it's really crazy that something like this happened to L-I mean, Ryuuzaki, of all people, but it's still kinda cool. It's almost like getting to _be_ a wolf without actually being one, with the way Ryuuzaki treats us and we have to act."

Light laughed once- Matsuda always could see the good side of things. "I guess you could look at it that way," Light allowed. "Now, are there any questions at all? I think Watari did a good job of explaining everything in the paper, but if there's any questions, I might be able to clear them up."

"I think we're good," Mogi quietly said.

"Good," Light said, glancing over towards L, who had fully closed his eyes by now, and was letting o small puffs of breaths, his ear occasionally twitching. "Watari has transferred Beyond to the interrogation room- I need to speak with him to get the location of the blueprints. We're going back to the warehouse today- it should be safe, so I'm only going to take Watari with me."

"What about L?" Aizawa asked, gesturing at the dozing detective curled up on the floor. "He seems pretty attached to you. I don't think he'll be too happy, being left behind."

"I was hoping to leave him behind with all of you, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there," Light told them. He waved his hand over at the manila envelope, starting towards the door. "There's another piece of paper in there. Give it to Misa and explain the situation if you see her, please."

"Misa left while ago to meet a friend," Soichiro said, setting the paper aside; on it was nothing really new, and he knew how to handle L based on his past experience. "I can't remember the name of her friend. I think it was  
Mo…Moi… Moik… something like that," Socihiro told his son. "I don't think she's going to be back too soon."

Light stopped and shook his head, bringing up a hand to his forehead. "Ugh… Alright. Just… don't let L near her if she does come back and I'm not around. For some reason, L doesn't like her too much."

"Really?" Matsuda asked interestedly, looking up from his paper. "Why?"

Light shrugged, opening the door. "I still haven't worked that one out. I think it might be because she was hugging me too tightly and it was aggravating the wounds on my chest. L must have picked up on it and considered her a threat. That's the only explanation I can think of, although I don't understand his sudden personality switch towards her…" He trailed off and looked at L, who was still relaxed and asleep.

"He shouldn't wake up, but if he does, don't let him come after me. L subconsciously recognized Watari because he knew him for so long. He's also known Beyond for a long time, and with the negative memories of Beyond, I'm not sure what L would do if he saw him again."

Light left, closing the door quietly after him.

The four left in the room looked at L, then at each other.

Soichiro shook his head. "Alright, let's get back to work. He's not going to harm you- just don't wake him up."

L let out a huff in his sleep and his hand twitched, as if to agree with Soichiro.

* * *

Light made his way to the interrogation room, seeing Watari waiting outside of it with the interrogation kit.

"I don't think I'll need that, Watari," Light told him. "Beyond already knows what I'll do if he doesn't give me the information I want, so he'll probably talk to prevent that. Thank you, though."

"Alright," Watari said. "But I'll leave the bag here in case you end up needing it. I'll go and gather the equipment we'll need to return to the warehouse. I've called the police; they've left the warehouse alone, meaning that nothing should be disturbed. Would you like your gear?"

Light hesitated, thinking for a moment, before answering. "Yes, and you should suit up as well. I don't know if L was the first of Beyond's experiments- he mentioned L being the best one, which implies that Beyond experimented on more people than just L. Do you think we should gather some gear for L as well, in case he does end up coming?"

Watari thought, before nodding. "I think he should- just a light issue, since the armor is going to be uncomfortable, but he should have some protection. I'll gather some, just in case."

"Thank you, Watari," Light said. "We'll leave right after I get done with Beyond."

"Of course, sir," Watari agreed and left, heading out to get the equipment together.

Taking a deep breath, Light faced the door to the interrogation room, where the object of his utmost hatred waited, steeling himself before he opened the door and went in, not bothering to close it behind him.

* * *

L came to slowly, his eyes fluttering open and ears twitching as the sound of humans around him flooded into them. Confused, he sniffed the air before registering that the humans were his pack- the familiar, imprinted scents confirmed that.

L raised his head up groggily, yawning widely with his tongue lolling out, before closing it and licking his lips. L rolled his shoulders before stretching his arms in front of him, and then shifting to stretch his back ones out, languidly stretching his cramped muscles. He decided to yawn again, just because it felt good to do so and because it helped him shake away some of the sleepiness and become more alert.

He gave himself a good shake before standing to his feet, yellow eyes taking in the familiar figures of his packmates. For a moment, he was tempted to go and pounce on one of them for a friendly romp, but the distinct lack of the scent or sight of his alpha made him freeze, head whipping around as he scanned the room for any sign of his alpha.

A distressed huff left L's chest as he sniffed the air once more, this time searching for the distinct scent of his alpha. He finally detected it- and on the right track now, he swiftly loped out of the room, following the scent of his alpha and ignoring the surprised yelps of his pack.

* * *

"Beyond Birthday."

Light eyed the man in front of him, tied to a chair and regarding him with baleful red eyes. He was still dirty and blood-encrusted from their last encounter- Watari must not have seen fit to give him a bath, although he did bandage Beyond's toes where he had removed the nails and the other various cuts and burns.

He crossed his arms and stepped closer to L's kidnapper, a smirk tugging at the corner of his full lips. "I think you know why I'm here. I need the location of the blueprints, and I think you know what will happen if you don't tell me."

"What? Torture me some more? That's a very long process," Beyond taunted, a sadistic glint in his eyes. "I might be more amicably inclined to tell you what you want if you answer a few of _my_ questions or bring in L so I can see how he's doing."

"Fuck you, you sicko," Light replied, narrowing his eyes. "You've put me through so much in the past _day_ just because of what you did to L. What makes you even think that after all I've gone through, having to take care of L and deal with all the shit that your messing with his mind caused, I'd give you what you want?" Light demanded.

"Because if you persist in torturing me, I might just blurt out something that'll make the chip in my mind explode and kill me," Beyond chuckled. "And then, how will you get your precious blueprints? It'll take weeks for you to find the blueprints in my warehouse unless I tell you."

Light glared at Beyond, before a thought struck him. "Why can you tell me the location of the blueprints without the microchip exploding?" Light asked suspiciously, and that that suspicion only grew as Beyond's pupils dilated and his breath hitched- signs of nervousness, no doubt at something being brought up he was trying to hide.

"Does it matter?" Beyond asked nonchalantly. Hiding. Light could tell he was hiding something.

"What are you not telling me, Beyond?" Light pressed.

"Nothing," Beyond snarled. "If you want to fucking know so badly, the blueprints are-"

Beyond was cut off by the sound of a feral snarl ripping through the room, and Light whirled, seeing L standing in the doorway, yellow eyes gleaming with feral hate and lips curled in a hateful grimace. Beyond looked past Light, his red eyes fixing on L's tense figure.

"Ah, so I do get what I want," Beyond cackled, delight in his words. "Hello, L. So lovely to see you once more."

* * *

L loped through the building, following the scent of his alpha closely until he stopped in the doorway of a room, freezing at the sight before him.

Red eyes gleamed twistedly, excitedly at him, making disgust and fear and hate all tumble and churn in his stomach.

L didn't know why a sudden wave of hatred crashed through him, directed at the human with the gleaming red eyes, but it was as if every nuance of hate and fear he had ever harbored in his being came to the surface once he locked eyes with gleaming red. There was something off about those red eyes, something sick and twisted and wrong and _not right_.

It raised L's hackles and made him snarl threateningly, fear and hate for the human coursing through him.

And then, het human spoke, and though L could not understand the human language, the delighted, sick glee in the human's repulsive vice made something inside of him snap.

Tensing, his muscles coiled and he sprang, pushed over the edge by the emotions surging through him.

* * *

Light saw it coming; he had had L spring at him enough to tell when this was coming.

But it felt different this time. When he had attacked Light and even Misa before, L had been angry, even somewhat fearful- he had been protecting himself as he saw fit.

This time, however, pure hatred burned in L's slightly slanted, feral eyes, locked fiercely onto Beyond's restrained body.

As much as he hated Beyond, as much as the small, sadistically sick part of him would have delighted in seeing L take his revenge on Beyond and rip the bastard's throat out, Light did need the psycho. He couldn't be allowed to be killed yet.

So once again, Light intervened in L's murderous intentions. He wasn't fast enough to knock L aside, as he had done with Misa. Instead, he had time to throw himself in front of L, his sideways momentum carrying both him and L off to the side, Beyond whipping his head around to watch the two with a sick fascination as Light landed on his back on the floor, L on top of him, also on his back.

L was writhing, thrashing in Light's grip, clawing and biting to get free, even though he knew it was his alpha he was harming. But something, some urge compelled him to rush at the human and tear his throat out, rip at the delicate flesh until it ripped and tore and bled and the human was _dead_.

L let out a howl of frustration, eyes narrowing as he fought against Light's grip.

But Light held on, ignoring the scratches L's clawed feet and hands, and occasionally teeth wrought upon him, burning lines of pain on his skin. He bit back a curse as L's claws raked over his older, yet still fresh wounds, making him gasp as they tore open once more.

Maneuvering, he shifted to wrap his legs around L's restraining and pushing them down on the floor, pinning them there. His arm pressed against L's throat, holding it firmly against his shoulder and his other arm wrapped around L's torso, pinning his hands against his slim chest.

In this way, Light was effectively able to restrain L, although he wouldn't stop fighting, letting out snarls and growls as he tried to fight his way free, his yellow eyes never leaving Beyond's.

"Seems like he's not doing so well," Beyond commented casually.

"Shut the fuck up, Beyond," Light hissed, L punctuating his statement with a small howl as L wrenched an arm free, trying to use it as leverage to pull himself up. Light grabbed for L's arm, but the detective was too quick and used the slackened grip to free his other arm legs jerking free as well.

Crouching, L jumped for Beyond once more, but Light quickly reached out and desperately grabbed L's tail, the yank making him cry out in pain and make him miss his mark of Beyond's throat, his deadly teeth instead sinking into Beyond's shoulder. This invoked a strangled cry of pain from Beyond, shifting in a futile attempt to get away from the teeth tearing into the skin and muscle of his shoulder.

Although he had missed, L still had Beyond in his grasp and yellow eyes narrowing into burning slits as he clamped down on Beyond's shoulder, jerking in an attempt to get Beyond onto the floor so he could go for the jugular. The ropes restraining Beyond to the chair prevented L from doing so, however, and it only served to implant his teeth further into Beyond's shoulder, burying themselves so deep they nicked and scraped against Beyond's shoulderbone.

Taking the opportunity granted to him, Light scrambled to his feet and reached out for L's neck, pressing through the black fabric of L's shirt and digging his finger into a certain point, making L stiffen before his grip on Beyond's shoulder loosened and he sank to the floor, eyes sliding shut and lying limp.

Panting heavily, Light stood up, eyeing Beyond's shoulder, gushing blood, before he reached into his pockets for his cell phone and dialed Watari's number. Luckily, he picked up on the first ring.

_"Light? Is there something wrong?"_

Light nodded, though he knew Watari couldn't see it. "Yes, I'm afraid so," he said grimly. "I have an unconscious L and a torn- up Beyond Birthday. You might want to bring the surgical kit and some painkillers- and cleaner, as well," Light added, seeing blood running down the arm of the chair and down the leg, pooling on the ground. "There's blood on the floor again."

* * *

Edited version uploaded 4/8/13


	9. The Better to Protect You With

Chapter 9

-Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

-In answer to ElizabellaLight's question, no, the story has not explained the details of why Light gave up the notebook, for certain reasons pertainting to plot. It will be explained later, though, so no worries.

-As always, she thanks her readers and reviewers, and hopes they continue to enjoy the story!

* * *

Light disconnected the call to Watari and replaced the phone in his pocket before he turned back to Beyond, who had twisted his head and was examining the gash in his shoulder with a look that was a mixture of awe and smugness.

"Wonderful," Beyond breathed, an excited light in his red eyes. "The enhancements have worked wonders on him. Delightful," he cackled, tossing his head back and laughing hysterically. "Never, in my wildest dreams, had I thought the serum would bond so completely to his DNA and alter his body as much as it has. Without the chip, there's no trace of humanity left in his mind."

"You're sick," Light growled, leaning down and grasping Beyond's wounded shoulder, enjoying the gasp of pain the man gave. His eyes raised, locking with Light's own infuriated ones. "How can you be happy about this?" He gave Beyond's shoulder a small shake, and Beyond only laughed through the pain, grinning like the maniac he was.

"It shows me how far L has fallen, how well the serum twisted his mind into exactly what I desired and wished for it to be. The great L, reduced to nothing more than a beast- you have no idea how delightful it is to see him like he is." Beyond's eyes widened, a look of wonder gleaming in them. "It would seem that I've won… unless you figure out how to make that microchip, there's nothing you can do to bring his humanity back. He's helpless… what lovely thought…" Beyond trailed off.

"Tell me where the blueprints are!"

"No," Beyond said, a secretive smile flirting at the edges of his lips.

Light was silent for a moment, scanning Beyond's face, before a vicious smile of his own twisted his lips. "I think you will," Light said softly, shifting his grip to dig his thumb into the hole L's teeth had caused.

Beyond let out a sharp cry of pain, his eyes squeezing shut and head flying back as Light's thumb traveled deeper into the bloody hole, tearing apart already damaged muscles and nerves. It must have hurt extremely bad, Light thought idly, watching in satisfaction as Beyond writhed in pain in his grasp.

"You'll tell me exactly what I want to know," Light whispered, leaning closer, "or my thumb goes until it hit the bone. Your choice," he told Beyond, moving his thumb slightly deeper.

"And you call me sick!" Beyond cried, a single tear leaking out of the corner of his eye.

"You're the one who tortured L for over a year with your sadistic experiments. Think of this as divine retribution for your crimes against him. I would have loved to see him tear your throat out as revenge for your actions, but I still need you, unfortunately," Light said, smiling down at the man in his grip.

"Divine retribution? Kyahaha," Beyond breathily laughed, panting and grinning up at Light. "That seems almost…Kira-like, wouldn't you say?"

"What the hell are you insinuating?" Light growled. He had been cleared as Kira after the case fizzled out when Beyond had kidnapped L. There was no evidence against him as Kira- what the hell was this psycho saying?

"Nothing, nothing… you really are a bastard, aren't you? The blueprints are buried in the ground, under my bed in the warehouse. Remove the first layer of dirt, and there's a hatch. Twist it three times, and a capsule with the blueprints will pop out. Now, remove your thumb from my shoulder," Beyond grimaced, jerking it away from Light.

He released Beyond and stepped back, wiping his bloody hand on his pants disgustedly.

At that moment, the door to the cell opened and Watari came in with a bag in his grasp, taking in the scene around him silently. "The medical kit, sir," was all he said, raising his arm and offering the bag.

"Good. Patch him up," Light pointed at Beyond with a dismissive gesture. "We might still have need of him later on."

Watari went to do just that and Light sighed, rubbing his forehead before he turned to L with some reluctance. He hadn't wanted to pull the nerve pinch on him; after all L had been through, it didn't seem right to do something like that to him. But he needed Beyond- he wouldn't be able to give out information if he was a mangled, dead mess, and so Light had been left with no choice.

Kneeling down, Light gently brushed some hair off of L's face, trailing his hand down L's pale cheek. "I'm sorry," he whispered, reaching up to rest his hair on L's ears and stroke them. "It wasn't my intention to hurt you."

He sighed, and at that moment, L's eyes snapped open, flashing around the room hazily. They stopped suddenly, locked onto the partially-hidden form of Beyond. L's lips curled into a sneer and with a lightning-fast movement, he had flipped himself over and was on his feet, muscles coiled to spring.

Light quickly got to his feet and grabbed the back of L's neck, burying and twining his fingers into he strip of black fur that streaked down L's spine. He held it firmly, forcing L's head up to meet his eyes. "You will follow me out of this room, L," L said firmly, giving a firm yank to L's fur as black eyes attempted to dart away, not wanting to meet Light's domineering gaze. "And you will fucking _listen_ to me."

L was silent for a moment before his ears swiveled back, his tail curling to fit in between his legs, and he let out a quiet whine.

"Good," Light breathed, knowing that L was submitting to him. He had been out of control before; now that he had re-asserted his dominance, L would listen to him again. He released L and turned to Watari. "You can leave him here- he's not going anywhere," Light said, regarding Beyond with distaste. "Perhaps it will give him a chance to reflect over his actions."

"As you wish, sir," Watari said, tying off Beyond's bandages and tucking everything back into the medical bag.

Behind Light, L stared at Beyond, not moving towards him, but regarding him with hate in his eyes. The sneer was still present on his face, and for some reason, that caused Beyond to grin widely. "Don't worry about me," Beyond laughed. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

"You're disgusting," Light spat, turning away from the bloodstained maniac.

His words only caused Beyond to laugh harder, doubling over slightly as far as his restraints would let him. "Sticks and stones, sticks and stones. You had better watch out for the sticks and stones coming towards _you,_ pretty, because they're not so kind as to just be words. Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt. _My_ sticks and stones will harm both you and him, so be careful, very careful," he cackled, an insane glint lighting his eyes.

"You've lost it," Light told him succinctly, folding his arms. It was unnerving to see Beyond come so unraveled; he had never been like this before.

"That may be so, may be so. Kira was insane too, then, wasn't he? Ah, never mind. I'll be seeing you soon, L, very soon," Beyond grinned, looking past L and right into L's yellow eyes.

L's sneer only grew and he let a snarl rip through the room, leaning down into a crouch. His ears twitched, irritated by Beyond's hysterical, grating laughing.

"No!" Light whirled on L, forcing him to back down. "We're going. Now," Light said firmly, ignoring Beyond's chuckles.

He grabbed the back of L's shirt and led him to the door, shoving him roughly outside and barring the door with his body so that L wouldn't come back in. Light looked up, right at Beyond. "You had better not be lying, for if you are, what I did to you before will be nothing compared to what I'll do to you later."

Beyond said nothing in response. He simply smirked and gave Light a wink.

Seeing as nothing more was to be said, Light left, Watari following closely after him.

"It's really too bad for you that you forgot what you were going to ask before L so kindly interrupted," Beyond whispered, watching as Light left the room, shutting the door and leaving him in silence once more.

His head dipped, and a small, secretive smile played at his lips. "But… I think this will make things even more fun, won't it… Kira?"

* * *

Watari followed them to the locker room. The gear was already waiting for them, Light was pleased to see, and as Watari got suited up, Light started the task of getting L fitted into his gear as well.

It was nothing like the heavy Kevlar vests that Light and Watari wore; he had a feeling L would be opposed to even more covering and so had had Watari find a light-issue, protective vest that was thin yet strong.

He removed L's shirt, tugging it off over his head and being more careful of L's ears this time, and was unable to help the small smile that slid onto his face as L gave a shake, obviously pleased to have the restricting piece of clothing off.

However, the shirt was soon replaced with a black, long-sleeved turtleneck.

Watari had recently designed and perfected a new material that had special fibers weaved into the cloth, and while it would not stop a bullet, it made the material stronger and harder to get through. He had been working on it for the past few weeks, and had in fact, finally declared it ready for use a few days before their raid on the warehouse to get L from Beyond.

It was better and more lightweight than the bulky protective gear that they had been using for awhile, and Watari had made three sets of clothes from the material as a prototype for when they went into the warehouse.

The strength of the material was proven as Light slid L's arms through the sleeves and his claws occasionally snagged against the material, but didn't tear through the sleeves. Light wasn't taking any precautions- he didn't know what other surprises Beyond had left behind in that warehouse, but he was determined to be as prepared as possible.

"I think the material is a success, Watari," light murmured, holding up L's arm and plucking at the material. A few threads had come unraveled, testaments to L's snagging them on the cloth, but there were no rips, as should have been when faced with the sharpness of L's claws.

"I see that, sir," Watari said, regarding the sleeve with a pleased look. "I just hope it holds up to expectations when it counts most."

In a way, he felt horrible about taking L with him- taking him back to that place was sure to be a negative experience for L. But, L might be useful as well, and Light didn't feel comfortable with leaving L behind. He had searched Light out before when he had been left alone; what would happen If Light left and L attempted to follow?

Grimacing at that thought, Light carefully tugged the neck over L's head, folding the neck over once and smoothing out L's mussed hair. He was growling softly, obviously displeased at the new item of clothing but Light disregarded it, instead rubbing L's ears, making sure the fur fell in the right way and wasn't irritating the skin.

L tilted his head into Light's hands, his eyes slipping shut and a pleased growl emanated from his chest as his tail waved slowly back and forth.

"See, that wasn't so bad… it's for your own good, you know," Light murmured. He went about the process of changing L's pants next, replacing the jeans with a black set of more fitted pants, made of thicker fabric, but with the same fibers as the turtleneck.

Watari politely looked away while Light was doing this, and Light, this time around, was more careful. L didn't fall over this time, although he looked even more displeased at the more restraining pants.

He tugged L's tail free and then glanced down at L's feet. Light himself had thick-soled boots with thin metal plates placed between the lining to prevent getting shot or otherwise injured in the foot. However, it would be painful to force L's feet into them; they were too crooked and wouldn't fit comfortably into them. But he wasn't worried about the bottom; it was the exposed part on the top that did.

Light couldn't see any sort of other option, so he reluctantly left L's feet alone, instead slipping L's arms through the vest and pulling it over his torso, zipping it up.

"Right…" Light said, stepping back and surveying L's wriggling form as he tried to get used to the additional layers. "I think that's the best I can do under the circumstances, Watari."

"I understand, sir. I think he shall be fine- Beyond, with his meddling in L's DNA, designed him to be faster and stronger than most humans."

"Still," Light said, biting his lip in worry as he got changed himself, pulling on his own turtleneck and black pants, "I can't help but think that something is going to go wrong. Beyond mentioned that L was his most successful experiment, which implies that he had more. I find the thought unsettling – if there were failed experiments, Beyond must have had some way to dispose of them, and we've never found any bodies that are like… well… Like L," Light said, casting a glance at the former detective, who had lain down and was watching Light through lazy, slitted eyes.

"Beyond Birthday is a psychopath that nears L's level of intelligence. I am sure that if he had any bodies, he would have found some way to dispose of them without anyone noticing him doing so and making them undiscoverable, sir," Watari assured Light, holding Light's own heavier vest for him to don.

Taking it, Light slipped it on and zipped it on, then pulled on his gloves as well. Watari handed him a headset and Light fixed it over his ears. He shot a glance over at his handgun and rifle, nestled safely in his locker, debating.

As used to guns as he had become, he still disliked them. But, this was Beyond's warehouse that he was talking about…

Sighing, he reached for his handgun, drawing it out, checking it and placing it into his belt. He glanced over at L, but his eyes were closed, and for all appearances, appeared to be dozing. _Is being half-wolf really all it took to finally start getting some sleep?_ Light thought amusedly, regarding L's napping form with a small smile.

Shaking his head, he tucked his knife into his boot and then reached to grab his rifle, grabbing it by it the neckstrap and slinging it around his neck. He closed the door to his locker and turned to Watari, who was already fully suited and was folding Light and L's clothes. "I think… we should go."

Watari nodded and sent the clothes off to the side, gathering up his gun as well. "Very good, sir. How shall we deal with L?"

Light glanced over to L, who had slitted his eyes open once more and had pricked his ears forwards, appearing to be napping for all intents and purposes, but Light suspected he was fully awake and watching. "I'm not sure," Light admitted. "He didn't respond to the elevator well, so I'm not sure how he'll deal with the car."

"Perhaps it would work better if I drove and you sat in the back with him?" Watari suggested.

"That may be the best option," Light nodded. L had clambered to his feet by now, sensing that something was going on. "Beyond's warehouse his waiting. Let's go." Watari nodded and exited, going to get the car with Light right after him, L following right on Light's heels.

* * *

Watari had the car pulled up by the time Light and L finally got there- he had intentionally taken his time in order to give Watari time to get there. L jumped slightly as the car screeched to a stop and growled at it, eyeing it with great distrust, his fingers tensing.

Light ignored L's reaction and opened the back door of the small, sleek, inconspicuous black car, gesturing for L to come to him. He did, although he was very reluctant. Light grabbed the back of L's vest once he was close enough and gently pushed him into the car, L tumbling in with a short yelp and Light quickly slid in after him, closing the door to prevent a scrambling L from getting out.

L was breathing fast, eyes wide and gazing around him, but Light simply buckled himself in and waved his hand at Watari in a casual, 'go-ahead' manner.

The car started rolling ahead and L growled sharply, panic overtaking him at the unfamiliar sensations. Light glanced over at him and sighed, shaking his head. "Come here," Light muttered, throwing and arm around L's shoulders and tugging L's tense body against his. He reached up to thread his fingers into L's soft hair, scratching gently behind L's ears in an effort to calm him.

Which seemed to work. After a few minutes, L seemed to have gotten more used to the car and started leaning away from Light, reluctant to be touched now that he no longer wanted nor needed the contact.

It didn't take them long to get to the warehouse, and though it seemed as though L had gotten used to the car on the way there, he leaped out of the car with what seemed like great relief once Watari had pulled the car to a stop and Light had opened the door. He leaped right over Light, sailing out of the car and coming to a skidding halt on the gravel.

He gazed up at the warehouse, alert yellow eyes skimming over the rise of the building. Light and Watari exited the car in a less hurried manner, locking the door after them. Silently, they made their way to the door of the warehouse, as cautious as before, since they had no idea what could be waiting for them in the psychopath's home.

L's feet were eerily quiet on the gravel; the smoothness of his movements barely made any noise other than a slight rustle as the gravel shifted and resettled under his feet. "I'll be in front, Watari, so that L will be right in the middle and you can follow him and keep an eye on him. Keep your headset on and connected to base, just in case something happens."

"I understand, sir," Watari said quietly.

Light nodded and shifted his grip on his gun, holding it more firmly. He glanced back at L, seeing him watch him with an alertness that surpassed any intenseness that he had possessed before. Light knew that he could sense and smell emotions; he must have picked up on the seriousness of this situation.

His ears were raised and pricked forwards, his tail raised slightly, held perfectly. Light nodded to himself, satisfied that L was aware of this situation in his own way. "Alright," he muttered, hefting his own gun," let's get this over with."

In an odd way, it made him feel better to have L at his back. There was no Beyond Birthday waiting inside, and his friend's life was not hinging on the line- although, Light realized with a jolt, it sort of was.

If he failed to get the blueprints, L would be stuck as he was for the rest of his life. He would not be able to be human, to enjoy _being_ human. That was stripped from him, and in a way, this infiltration of the warehouse was even more vital than the first.

At least that first time, it was a life or death situation. Black and white. Either L was alive or dead- if he was dead, it was the end and they would have to grieve and recover from it, but life would go on. If he was alive, his wounds could be healed and he could get help for the mental repercussions being held by Beyond would have etched into his mind.

But this… if he didn't get the blueprints, L would be like this, doomed to be an animal in a humans' body for the rest of his life. L's mind, his future hinged on this, and if he failed, he would never forgive himself.

That thought firmly fixed in his mind, he took a deep breath and opened the door to the warehouse. Light slipped inside, L and Watari following closely after him.

The main room was dark and eerie as usual, but nothing popped out at him, nothing happened as he stepped inside. L came to a halt right behind him, close enough so that he could feel his warm breath fanning over the back of his neck. It comforted him, knowing that L was behind him, deadly and capable.

He moved farther into the room, heading straight for the trapdoor he knew was there. The lock was broken from their last visit so Light simply reached down and flipped the door open, gesturing for Watari to go first.

He jumped through and then quickly moved out of the way so that Light and L could jump through. He glanced back at L once, making sure that he was still watching him and knew what he was doing before gripping his gun firmly and jumping through the hole, landing with his knees bent. He got out of the way as well- just in time too, for L jumped down, landing in his crouch before standing up straight, shaking himself off in a disgruntled manner.

Watari moved to get the ladder that they had found last time and place it at the mouth of the hole, ready for use for their return. Light let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair once, trying to settle himself.

Remembering what had happened here… it unsettled him, and he couldn't help but imagine yellow, glowing eyes watching them from the shadows, waiting for their chance much like L had not too long ago, when he was still under Beyond's influence. "Fuck, but this place is creepy," Light muttered, shaking his head and turning to Watari. "This place feels wrong- I don't like it," Light told him, glancing around. "Let's get what we came for and get the hell out of here- L! What are you doing?" Light called, cutting himself off as he saw L edging forwards, further into the tunnel out of his peripheral vision.

L didn't respond other than to flick his ear back to Light, and then it returned to its frontwards facing position. L's tail had stilled, held firmly down and his whole body was tense and coiled, head slightly raised.

"Perhaps we should simply follow him- he has better senses than we do, and he's sure to alert us if he senses anything amiss," Watari spoke up.

"You may be right, Watari," Light said softly, never taking his eyes off of L.

It was amazing, the change that the situation had upon him. While L had always moved with a certain grace after having these changes inflicted upon him, the effect was now more profound than ever. He walked on the very balls of his oddly-shaped feet, his movements quick and sure as he moved further in the dimly-lit tunnels whose lamps were still powered by some sort of remaining power source.

L's ears twitched and flicked at sounds that Light and Watari could not hear, and his head whipped back and forth, yellow eyes flashing about the tunnel with an extreme wariness. He made no sound whatsoever as he moved, and watching him now, Light knew it would be easy for him to meld into the shadows, to become invisible, and unseen pair of eyes watching as he and Watari traveled into the tunnels.

"Beyond really did his job well," Light whispered, slightly awed, and beside him Watari nodded.

'Beyond Birthday has never been anything but thorough. In fact," Watari said, his eyebrows furrowing slightly, "it was odd that he tested and used the microchip before it was totally perfect- that was very unlike him…"

"You're right," Light replied, thinking more on the matter himself. Yes, Beyond Birthday was the type to obsess over the smallest details, to plan and ponder and not leave anything to uncertainty or chance. The fact that he had used something on L that was not perfect and foolproof was indeed, odd. It niggled at his mind, but Light pushed it away, another solution coming to mind. "Although, from the way you described him, I suspect it was his insane obsession for revenge against L that drove him to do this."

"I suppose… but I'd be careful, sir. I made the mistake of underestimating Beyond Birthday once, and it was what led to our current situation. Never stereotype with this man, and predict the unpredictable," Watari said quietly, cautioning Light. "I would not want to see something happen to you as well."

Surprised, Light glanced over at Watari, seeing him staring ahead with a deadly intent expression. His eyes softened, and a small smile tugged at his lips. "I won't make that mistake," Light assured Watari. "You worry so much… it's only a testament to how much you care. Now," Light said, looking forwards, "we should go before L leaves us behind."

Watari gave a little laugh and then nodded. "Indeed."

Stepping forwards, Light followed cautiously after L, flicking the light on his gun on. L's ears tilted backwards towards them and he shifted, turning his head to look back at them. L's eyes caught the light and gleamed a bright, burning yellow for a single, brief moment before Light lowered his gun's light as L snarled at the irritation to his sensitive eyes, looking away sharply. "Oops," Light muttered, grimacing. "Sorry about that, L."

The former detective only huffed once, taking off into the tunnels, Watari and Light forced to follow along at a fast clip lest they be left behind. He ran like a wolf, with his head tilted down and tail held level with the ground, running at a long, comfortable lope.

Light had read that wolves could maintain this speed for a full day without tiring, and for a moment, he wondered if L's human body had been altered enough that he could keep up with that pace. It was certainly intriguing, and Light had to admire the way L moved in that moment, as if his body was perfectly in sync with itself.

Beside him, Watari kept a steady pace, starting to breathe a bit heavily but in remarkably good shape for one his age. Luckily, the tunnel wasn't too long and they arrived at Beyond's main room in less time they had the first time. Of course, they had been going slowly and cautiously the first time, stopping to check things a few times, but they were running after L this time around, so it took less time.

L waited at the threshold of the opening for him, staring into the space intently and Light hesitantly stepped through, not hearing the small click that came as an invisible wire was tripped. L followed Light in, Watari covering their tracks.

The room was empty, and though Light was expecting this, it still made him feel slightly better, and took a weight off of his shoulders. He let his gun fall around his neck and rubbed a hand over his face, sighing wearily. "Alright… Watari, you remember what he said, right? Let's move that bed, and-"

Light was cut off as a ferocious snarl ripped through the room and startled, Light grabbed his gun and whirled, only suck in a breath in shock as a black blur flew past his vision, colliding with something with a firm thump.

Light raised his rifle, eyes widening in shock as he saw L rolling and jumping to his feet in a quick, fluid motion, his face twisted into a vicious sneer. He crouched, tail held high and let a growl rumble from his chest, loud and threatening, his yellow eyes narrowed and focused firmly onto something.

Light followed his gaze and his breath hitched in a mixture of horror and disgust.

There was… another L facing his L. But, it wasn't L. It was some horrid, awful mockery of L, as if his features had been twisted beyond belief. Not his human features, though- his wolfish ones.

_It has to be one of Beyond's experiments,_ Light thought to himself, still in shock.

The experiment looked nothing like L- it had black hair that was perfectly straight and fell to the thing's shoulders. Its face was horribly twisted, the lower part of its face elongated as if it was attempting to forma muzzle, and part of its nose had widened, becoming a dark black and melding onto the face, while the other half of the nose was human and normal.

Long canines were exposed sticking out of the deformed muzzle, and ne of t's eyes was brown while the other was yellow, although Light had no doubt that it was fully under the influence of its wolfish side. Its claws were longer than L's, and only possessed four fingers, the fifth sprouting off to the side, like a dewclaw. Sparse black fur dotted the experiment's hands, though Light was glad to see that it was shaped like L from the waist down, with no other deformities.

Light was thankful it was dressed, in a ripped shirt and cut-off jeans, feet bare. Its face was twisted into a hateful snarl, and though it was ugly in appearance, it moved with the same predatory grace L did, except it seemed much more erratic, its hands and ears twitching, as if it couldn't hold still.

The mismatched eyes were fixed firmly on Light, and he jerked at this realization, freezing as the thing's insane, hate-filled eyes locked firmly at him. Fists curling, it stalked towards him, snarling. He was just about to raise his gun when something crashed into it, sending it sprawling on the floor.

With a jolt, he realized it was L, rising to his feet and backing off slightly, sidestepping so that it was in front of Light.

L was protecting him.

L…

_"You fool," _Light whispered vehemently, watching horrified as the thing shook and rose to its feet, a few inches taller than L. "You're going to get yourself killed." His heart clenched at the thought, and Light watched with worried eyes as L snarled at it, challenging the other experiment by raising his chin and raising his tail straight up, exerting the sign of dominance.

The experiment's focus was no longer focused on Light, but on the other "wolf" challenging him. "Watari," Light whispered, not wanting to draw any attention to himself. "You go and retrieve the blueprints- be as quiet as you can, and keep your gun ready. I'm going to try to get a clear sight on that thing and kill it," Light continued, stopping Watari before he could protest. "I don't want to give it a chance to hurt L."

Watari was silent for a moment before he nodded and moved off, skirting around the experiment and L, not wanting to disturb them and have the thing come after him.

Light quietly clicked the safety on his gun off and raised it-

Only to abruptly let out a quiet, frustrated curse as the thing jumped at L, causing them to tumble to the ground, thrashing and squirming. The thing snapped at L's throat, clawing at whatever he could get to and L was doing the same, desperately trying to get a hold on the experiment's throat while avoiding its twisted, deadly jaws.

There was too much movement for Light to get a clear sighting and he watched, horror and worry gnawing at him as he stood and watched, unable to do anything. He would not interfere physically; doing to might distract L and give the experiment an opening.

With a mounting sense of apprehension, he watched the two roll around on the floor.

It was nothing like his and L's fight; he had been simply trying to subdue L, and L was fighting to kill him, yes, but also for domination and possession of what he saw as his territory. Their fight a=had been shorter and more ordered, more graceful, because L had had to fight Light as partly human.

But here…

There was only savagery; this was a fight to the death, nothing more. Either L or the experiment would be dead at the end, and Light could only desperately pray that it wouldn't be L.

The experiment was physically matched with L; Light was thankful for small favors. But it was disturbing to see L like this, his face twisted in a snarl as he snapped and clawed with all his might at the experiment, thrashing in its grip and attempting to gain the upper hand.

There was a sudden cry and splatter of blood from the two bodies struggling on the floor, and Light's heart clenched as he saw L rip himself away from the experiment, stumbling backwards and falling to his knees, panting harshly. Numerous scratches littered his face, and a small nip had been taken off of his left ear, no doubt caused by a grazing clip of the experiment's teeth.

But what worried Light was the way his vest had been slashed through, right over his heart- if he hadn't been wearing that vest, L would have surely been dead by now, Light realized. There were numerous tears in L's clothes where the experiment's teeth or claws had been able to get through it, and suddenly, Light feared for L as he hadn't before.

He had been hoping… desperately hoping that the material would hold up against that thing, but it wasn't protecting L like it needed to be.

There was a deep gouge in L's right arm, Light saw, and it dribbled blood continuously, a weeping gash. L looked up as the thing approached him and his face twisted into sneer. He tried rising to his feet but accidently used his right arm to brace him and fell back with a small, harsh cry, before trying once more with his left arm. This time, L succeeded and proceeded to rush the experiment, throwing himself into it and knocking it to the ground once more by barreling into it with his shoulder.

The impact sent the experiment onto its back and made L skid on his side a few feet away, but he recovered, getting his feet back under his and jumped on top of the experiment, jaws snapping and fingers extended to rip into the experiment.

L was lucky- the impact had momentarily stunned the thing, and it allowed L to close his jaws around the thing's wrist, his teeth clamping together in a bone-crushing grip, his clawed fingers raking over the thing's shoulders at the same time leaving a set of red gouges behind.

The howl the experiment let out was horrible- pained and enraged. Infuriated, it took advantage of L's distraction and vulnerable position to raise its free hand and plunge its clawed fingers into Ls' side, in his upper ribs. It caused L to release the thing's wrist, letting out a choked scream as the claws scraped horribly over the bones and cartilage of his ribs.

"No!" Light jerked forwards, seeing L still atop the experiment, the fingers buried firmly into L's side. "L!" Quickly, Light brought up his rifle, aiming it directly at that motherfucker's head that had dared to hurt L so badly, but before he could pull the trigger, L grasped the experiment's fingers and ripped them out of his side and struck, his jaws widening and canines sinking into the experiment's throat.

It let out a gurgled, choked scream as L's canines crushed its windpipe, tearing the jugular wide open. L let out a growl, triumph sounding in his voice as he jerked his head and ripped a gash in the experiment's throat.

It thrashed and struggled under L, attempting o dislodge him, but L never released his death grip, only singing his teeth further into the flesh as the thing's movements grew weaker and feebler until they stopped altogether. The thing let out a last sigh before it relaxed, its body falling limp under L.

There was a beat of silence before L shifted, slowly releasing the thing's throat and staying still for a moment.

A small creaking sounded and Light flicked his eyes over to see Watari pulling a metal, rusted cap off of something in the ground, although his relief at the blueprint's location being found was dimmed by Ls' situation. A slight rustling returned his attention to L, who was finally moving.

Crawling off of the dead body of the experiment, L dropped to his knees, panting heavily, his arms shaking as his hands placed themselves firmly on the gourd, trying to still and brace his trembling form. He shook his head as Light took a step towards the bloodied form of his friend, and unseen by Light, a small piece of broken metal and plastic shifted in the back of L's head. This small action caused L to still, his legs giving out. He dropped to the ground, on his side, although his arms refused to give up and kept his upper body braced, although his head hung low and his shoulders hunched over.

"L!" Light called, worry etched onto his face and woven into his voice. He took another step forwards, desperate to help his friend, but reluctant to see the extent of L's injuries, of how badly the rogue experiment had torn him up.

"Light…?"

Light froze, hearing his name uttered in that achingly familiar voice, husky from disuse, but familiar all the same. The voice washed over him, sounding weary and slightly frightened, but it was familiar and was something that he had been longing to hear once more for so long.

"L," Light breathed disbelievingly, eyes wide and fixed upon the fallen, trembling form of his friend. "L!" Snapping out of his shock, Light dropped his gun, rushing to drop to his knees in front of L. His hand was shaking as he tilted L's face up, his breath catching at seeing confusion and bewilderment written across L's pale face.

"L! You're back!" Light grasped L's face gently, staring hard into L's grey-black eyes. His breath hitched at the sight, his heart giving a painful thump.

_Grey_.

Not yellow, but _grey_.

"Light. What…what happened…?" L whispered, coughing once, blood coming up and splattering the ground underneath him. Bewildered at the sight and the situation, L's eyes grew huge and he looked up fully at Light. "I don't… I can't… I know Beyond, but what…?"

"Shh," Light said, desperately trying to hush him. He didn't want L moving around, not with the injuries he had sustained. Didn't want to risk something ruining this, something from preventing him from getting L out of here alive and with his brain intact. "Don't move too much. You can't remember because there was a microchip implanted in your brain, putting you under the control of Beyond Birthday."

"Microchip…?" L mumbled, raising his hand before Light could stop him, pressing at the very base of his neck.

There was a small clicking sound, like plastic or metal shifting as L's hand pressed against the base of his neck, and he froze, his fingers tensing. His eyes widened, and Light's heart almost stopped as he saw L's eyes flicker back and forth erratically between familiar, warm grey and the hated yellow.

Eventually, they settled on yellow once more, banishing any trace of the grey that Light had been so longing to see. L blinked once, and then, to Light's horror, he let out a small sigh and fell limp, his head falling to the ground with a thump.

No.

_No._

"No," Light whispered, his voice echoing his horrified thoughts. "L, fuck, goddamnit, don't do this! I thought I had gotten you back," Light gasped, pulling L's body up and turning him over. His ears fell back limply and his body was dead weight in Light's hands, tail dragging over the floor. "I had hoped… No…"

Thoughts of how L's eyes had reverted to grey for those few precious seconds made him stare at L's eyes, willing them to open and _be_ that color, not the yellow that he was slowly starting to hate because it was not his friend's color.

It was not L in possession of that mind; it was simply an animal, a beast, and for a brief second, Light felt hatred for _L_, for what he now was, flash through him. But thoughts of that were erased when a small patter drew Light's attention to L's upper arm, where a large chunk of skin and muscle had been gouged out by the experiment's vicious teeth. Blood trailed down L's arm, dripping in small rivulets that splattered onto the ground because of the elevation of his arms.

Realization made Light jerk and he felt an immense guilt settle through him as he shifted L's body into his arms.

L, animal or not, had nearly been killed in his pursuit to protect Light. That feeling of hatred that had burned so briefly within him made him feel vaguely sick now that he had a chance to think and reconsider.

L didn't deserve to be hated, damn it. He deserved to be fucking loved and respected after all the shit that he had gone through with Beyond, after all that he had been forced to go through. This wasn't L's fault; this should never have happened to him. This _should_ not, and _would_ not be blamed on L.

He closed his eyes once before opening them, narrowing them into slits. He had the blueprints; he would work as fast and as hard as he could to get that microchip perfected and get L's mind back.

But even if that microchip failed…

Even if L never was human again, he'd still stay with L. He'd stay and be L's friend, his alpha, his leader, no matter what. Because L was fucking _L_, the man who had saved countless lives and put thousands of criminals in jail, and he didn't deserve to get locked up and tossed aside like trash when his brain was no longer the one the world could use.

Beyond's words suddenly came back to him:

_Sticks and stones, sticks and stones. You had better watch out for the sticks and stones coming towards you, pretty, because they're not so kind as to just be words. Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt. My sticks and stones will harm both you and him, so be careful, very careful…_

This was what Beyond was talking about, Light realized. They hadn't been careful; they must have tripped something, caused the thing to be released.

He had underestimated Beyond. And that had gotten L hurt worse. He had been the one to cause this; he had basically ripped L up himself.

But it was Beyond that had set this up; it was Beyond that had set the trap to release the rogue experiment. A sneer twisted Light's handsome face as he thought of the psycho.

Beyond would fucking pay. He'd slit the bastard's throat and make it gush red, the same red that was pouring out of L right now. And eye for an eye, L had always said, had always stuck by as his personal code, and Light knew that since L could no longer extract the eye he deserved from beyond for doing this to him, it was Light' right, his privilege, his _duty_ to do so for L.

"Watari!" Light barked, causing the elder man to stop riffling thought he blueprints and look up, worry clouding his eyes. "We leave now. I don't care if those aren't complete; we'll deal with that later. L needs medical attention."

Watari nodded shortly and in a swift movement, had the blueprints rolled up and shoved into the case, the lid capped and the case slung over his shoulder. "I'll call the team and make sure that the streets are clear of traffic for us- time back to base is seven minutes. Infirmary will be ready," Watari continued, going to the door and opening it for Light, who had stood to his feet and was running as smoothly as he could down the tunnel. Watari was right behind him, swift and spry for his age, but Light supposed that to be L's operative, he had to be so.

"Good," Light hissed, glancing down at L, before looking over at Watari. "Have Beyond back in the interrogation room- remove him from his current location in the cell and restrain him in the other room. There are some things that need to be cleared up, and he _will not_ be getting out of answering them this time around. Understand?"

Watari was silent for a moment before nodding, the pace they were going at making the movement look jerky. "Of course, sir."

Light didn't say anting else, just focused on pacing his breath so that he wouldn't get winded before they got out of the tunnel. His mind involuntarily traveled back to that moment, that brief, bittersweet moment when L had looked up with grey eyes.

_"Light…?"_

L's voice had been such a shock to hear, but it was a nice shock, one that had washed over his senses in a welcome, sweet flood, and Light closed his eyes, remembering. He longed to hear that voice once more, but even if he wasn't able to… it would be okay.

_Because…_

_You came back._

_Even if it was for the briefest second, the smallest moment in time, you were you, L._

_And we'll get that back._

_I'll get that back._

_And then… maybe after that…_

_Just maybe… it'll be alright again._

* * *

Good. Things were going so well, so very, very well.

It was only a matter of time before he replicated the microchip and placed it inside the subject's head.

And then… then, the revenge would be complete.

It was no matter the experiment was dead;it had been a failure, and failure was not an option.

It never had been.

One doesn't play a game with these kinds of stakes to think of loss; one had to be determined to win to do so.


	10. The Better to Save You With

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

-As always, she thanks her readers and reviewers, and hopes they continue to enjoy the story!

-And to Seishirou Hitsugaya, she is sorry that there's not more gore, but to her, it seems as if Light would not be one to want to get his hands dirty, and there are numerous, bloodless ways to torture a person. But hopefully the reason why Light appears to be going "easy" on Beyond is explained well enough within the chapter...

* * *

Watari raced ahead of Light once they exited the warehouse, sliding into the driver's seat and pulling the car up to Light. He jumped out and opened the door for Light, taking L momentarily so he could get in and then handed L's form over to Light. Watari slammed the door shut and rushed around to get back into the driver's seat, pulling away from the warehouse with a skid and sending gravel flying.

Watari drove with one hand while he put in a call to the base, his free hand fiddling with the GPS mounted on the dashboard.

Light could hear the moment his father picked up on the other line.

"Watari? How did it go?"

"No time for small talk. There was an incident-Light is fine," Watari said, speaking urgently and cutting off the start of Soichiro's worried questions, "but L isn't. Take control of the traffic lights- you know how to do that- and clear the road for us. I'm sending our route to you," Watari hurriedly said, pressing a few buttons on the GPS, making it pop up with a message that said, "Route Sent."

"Get the infirmary set up- make sure everything is sterilized. We'll be heading right there once we get back." Watari said calmly, although the way his hands gripped the wheel of the car belied his worry and anxiety. His knuckles were turning white, and through the rearview mirror, Light could see lines of stress etching themselves onto Watari's face.

L suddenly shifted in his lap, a small, pained whine working its way through L's mouth. Fear flashing through him, Light bent over, rubbing L's ears and whispering to him soothingly in an effort to calm him. Liquid warmth spread over his hands, staining them crimson and sending a wave of pure panic through Light.

God, what if they weren't fast enough?

His father started to speak again, drawing Light's attention back to the front.

"The traffic lights are changed, Watari. Your route is clear. Did you manage to get the blueprints?"

Watari paused for a single moment. "Yes. But they will be useless if we can't get L help. Don't call the doctor- I'm more than trained to deal with injuries of this extent, and I don't want to risk L's secret reaching the ears of undesirables."

"Understood, Watari."

"Soichiro- don't tell the others about this. L's in very bad shape, and the last thing we need his to have them panicking."

"Ah, of course. I hear you, Watari. Soichiro out." Watari clicked off the communicator and then looked up, back at Light and L in the backseat.

"Light. You need to stop the bleeding. Press something against the wound in his side," Watari instructed. "He may not make it if you don't."

Something inside of Light froze at Watari's words and desperately, Light looked around, but there was no fabric of any sort just lying there. An idea struck him and he shifted L's body, making him whimper as his side was jostled. "Shit," Light hissed, fumbling to pull his turtleneck over his head, trying not to move around too much. It was not his intention to hurt L more, and so he was as smooth as possible with his movements, tugging his arms free of the constricting shirt.

The black turtleneck slipped over his head, messing up his hair, but Light didn't pay any notice to it as he wadded the material up into a ball and pressed it against L's side.

L's yellow eyes flew open and a thin whine worked its way out of his mouth, clawed fingers clutching at the leather of the seat. "Shh," Light whispered, trying to calm L. He brought an arm around L's chest and pressed him closer, using his hand to press against L's uninjured side. He pushed the fabric harder against L's side, making him let out a feeble snarl and give a weak attempt to bit at Light's hand. He managed to latch onto Light's arm, but it wasn't a true bite- he was too weak to truly bite and Light suspected it was more of a warning bite than a true attempt to inflict pain.

"Fuck, I'm sorry L," Light breathed, pressing harder on the fabric and simultaneously feeling the teeth on his arm press in a bit harder. "But it's for your own good, you know that?"

L let out a small whine at that, his grip on Light's arm loosening and seeing L's eyes flutter shut, he looked up, panicking. "Watari! Can't you go any faster?!"

"We're almost there, Light," Watari replied, but he glanced worriedly back at L as well, and Light felt the car speed up as Watari pressed the pedal down the slightest bit harder. "Just hold on."

"You should be telling that to L," Light muttered, gazing down at L's pale, drawn face. It was starting to go an alarming shade of grey, but there was nothing Light could do about tit. He only pulled L closer and stroked his fingers over L's uninjured side.

A few minutes later, the car came to a screeching halt and Watari leaped out, running around the side to throw open Light's door and lean in to gently take L, allowing Light to slip out. Watari handed L back to Light and they ran through the doors and the metal detectors, which Watari disabled with the click of a button on a remote he pulled from his pocket.

The doors slid open as they burst through the doors, and luckily, only Soichiro was there. His eyes widened at seeing the blood staining Light's naked chest and L's body, dripping from his side and arms.

"Dad!" Light stumbled in, L's weight, thought slight, still making the muscles in his arms burn from the effort of carrying L. "Is the infirmary ready?"

"Yes." Soichiro ran ahead and opened the elevator, ushering Watari and Watari through, pressing the button for the floor where the infirmary was. "I sent the team out for an early lunch- I told them we weren't making any progress on the latest case without you, Light, so I told them to go and have a relaxed lunch until you three returned."

"Very good," Watari nodded, and then followed the other two men out when the elevator came to a stop and its metal doors opened with a whooshing noise. They rushed in the direction of the infirmary, Soichiro speaking quickly as they did so, occasionally throwing a concerned look over to L, who hadn't stirred at all since the moment in the car when Light had pressed his shirt onto the gash in L's side.

"Everything is set up already- I made sure of that."

They reached the infirmary and Watari opened the door, Light racing in and placing L gently onto the single bed in the room. He unzipped L's ruined Kevlar vest and tossed it aside while Watari rolled the small table of surgical tools over, Soichiro washing his hands. "Watari," Soichiro said drying off his hands and putting disinfectant on them, then going to L's other side, "we need to cut his clothes off. Hand me the scissors."

Watari did so silently, and Soichiro and Light worked to get L's shirt off of him, Soichiro carefully snipping the fabric apart while Light peeled it off to the side, gently lifting L's arms up so that his father could reach his sides and then pulled the fabric off of his arms.

The sound of high heels clicking on the linoleum floor of the hall drew the three men's attention and they paused as the door was pushed open, Misa's petite form stepping through. Her face was serious- a definite change from her normal, carefree expression, Light noted.

Light opened his mouth to ask her to leave, but Misa beat him to it, holding up her hand. "I saw the blood on the floor- it's hard not to notice. What happened, Light?" She asked, her eyes landing on L and widening, taking in his injured form.

"He got into a fight with… something else like him. Misa, really, later-"

"No." She cut him off once more, holding up a hand and looking around, eyes serious. "I understand. Look, you're gonna need some help with him," Misa continued in a determined voice, rolling up the sleeves of the causal, long-sleeved shirt that she was wearing. She had ditched her gothic Lolita apparel for today, since she hadn't planned on going out and wanted to be comfortable.

Really, those corsets were a bitch sometimes- worse than her production manager.

"I've worked on a few sets playing a nurse before, and I've picked up a few things when I had to work with a few real nurses. Not much, but enough that I might be able to help. Go ahead with what you're doing- he's going to need a blood transfusion with all the blood he's lost, and I can do that much, at least."

Light regarded her for a moment, taking in her new demeanor, before nodding shortly, lifting up L's torso and slipping the ruined turtleneck off of him.

"You do you know how to insert and I.V. needle?" Watari asked Misa, not blinking and eye as she washed and disinfected her hands before rolling a stand over to L. She fiddled with the bags, taking a blood-filled one from Watari and hooking it up. She fumble da bit, not really used to it, but she knew what to do and eventually got it settled.

"Yeah- that was one of the things that the nurses showed me, to make the scene more realistic, you know?" Misa said, running the tube to the needle. She gently turned L's arm over, gasping a bit at seeing a few of the cuts that ran along the underside of his arm, glancing up at L's greyish face.

Her own face paling at seeing L in such a state, she nevertheless took a rubber strap from Watari and wrapped it around L's upper forearm, tying it off. She took a squishy ball from Watari and with only the slightest bit of hesitation after getting a good look at the claws adorning L's fingers, she took ahold of his hand and turned it over. She pressed the ball into his hand and gently wrapped his long fingers around it, then covered his fingers with her own smaller one, silently counting the seconds and forcing his hand to constrict around the ball every five seconds.

Light watched her covertly out of the corner of his eye as he and his father moved down L's body, allowing Watari to step to L's side with a needle, thread, and disinfectant. Silently, he swabbed the area around the gash the experiment's fingers had left in L's side and proceeded to thread the needle. Deftly and expertly, Watari set the needle to flesh and stitched up L's side. He tugged the last stitch through and tied it off, clipping the thread.

He pressed at Ls' side, making sure the stitches were going to stay, and the motion caused L's yellow eyes to flutter and a pained whimper to leave his mouth.

Misa's head snapped up as L's arm started twitching, her eyes widening. "No, no," she said, reaching up with her free hand to pat L's face soothingly. His hazy eyes locked onto hers, glazed and half-lidded from blood loss and pain. "Sh, just calm down, okay?" Her voice lowered into a more soothing, calming timbre than her normal, high-pitched voice and L calmed, stilling once more.

"Misa, we need to remove his pants. Is that going to bother you?" Light looked up at Misa, who was faithfully making L's hand squeeze around the squishy ball in order to induce the veins in his arm to pop.

She shook her head. "No. Getting him fixed is more important. Go ahead." Her brows furrowed as she counted five seconds in between each squeeze, watching the crook of his arm carefully. Her fingers stoked along L's cheek, the gentle touch miraculously keeping him calm.

Light nodded, thankful that she wasn't going to protest and helped his father cut and peel away the black pants from L's body. He let out a shaky breath as the fabric was tossed away, and Light skimmed his fingers over a long rip in the pale skin of L's right leg, staining his fingers red, and Soichiro let out a breathy curse.

"Man," she whispered, shaking her head, before pressing the needle into the crook of L's elbow, holding it in place as she used her other hand to tape it onto his arm. She turned and pressed the button the I.V. was hooked up to and it started up with a nearly inaudible hum, blood slowly starting to flow down the tube and into L's body.

Done with the I.V., Misa gently removed the ball from L's hands and rolled the I.V. stand out of the way. She then grabbed the bottle of peroxide and began cleaning out the cuts and scrapes littering L's body, grimacing apologetically every time he flinched.

His tail thumped on the bed as he clawed the sheets, trying to get away from the sting of the peroxide, and Light looked up, seeing L attempting to get up. "No, no," Light said, dropping the bandages in his hands to the bed and switching places with Watari and his father to stand at the head of the bed, kneeling down so that he was at level with L.

L's yellow eyes were wide and hazy, his brows furrowed as he tried to understand what was going on. If he were human, he would know, but as a wolf… he was thoroughly confused and somewhat frightened.

"Hey," Light said, trying to calm him. "Sh, don't struggle. You're okay, right? Look at me, L." Light grasped L's chin and forced him to meet his eyes. L's eyes wavered for a moment, before they slid to the side and his ears tilted back, his body becoming still. "Good," Light said quietly, and looked up to nod at Watari and his father. "You can continue."

"I'm almost done," Watari said. "The experiment's toe-claws must have gotten him in the leg- this cut needed stiches," he continued, tugging the needle through L's skin one last time before clipping it and tying it off. He fixed a bandage over it and then straightened, casting a glance over L's body.

"The bleeding has mostly stopped and his wounds treated; there's not much else we can do," Watari said, starting to clean up.

"Good." Light stood up, flicking his hair out of his narrowed eyes. Now that L was alright, there was something else he needed to do. He needed information- from Beyond Birthday. And he refused to allow Beyond his little evasions this time around. "There's something I need to do."

Light gave once last glance back to L, who was still lying quietly, watching him with a tense look in his eyes, as if he didn't want Light to leave. And while Light was reluctant to leave L while he was like this… he needed to go.

"Light," Misa said, setting the peroxide aside and standing up, unrolling her sleeves, which were starting to constrict around her upper arms uncomfortably, "where are you going?"

He stared at her for a moment before he flicked his eyes away, towards the door. "Misa… you've displayed a high level of maturity today, and that makes me think that you're actually quite smarter than you act. As such," Light continued quietly, gripping the doorframe, the thought of seeing Beyond Birthday making him tense with anger, "I think that you know."

Misa studied Light for a second, before she gave a short nod. "L… he's my friend too." Misa's blue eyes hardened as she glanced away, and then looked back at Light. "Get what you need."

* * *

Light entered the interrogation room silently, not saying a word even as crimson eyes regarded him thoughtfully, taking in his shirtless state and the red that pooled onto his black pants, so soaked through it showed even through the dark fabric.

He uncapped the case slung over his shoulder, pulling out blueprints and setting them on the table, spreading them out carefully before capping the case and setting it gently onto the floor. He shifted to lean back against the table, crossing his arms loosely over his chest.

It was only then that Light looked up, and the cold glint in his eyes made even Beyond wary and sent a flash of fear down his spine.

"…L almost died today."

It was said softly, so quietly that Beyond had to strain to hear it. His eyes widened at Light's words, the start of gleeful smile slipping across his face.

"I think you know why."

Beyond's smile only grew wider at the words, and he sighed, leaning his head onto the hard back of the chair. "Yes. That little experiment was nasty, wasn't he?" He slitted open an eye and regarded Light lazily. "I did tell you to be careful. But… it looks like you disregarded my warning. Won't do that again, now will you, hm?"

Light said nothing for a moment, before pushing himself off the table and picking up a thin, long needle from the tools scattered on it. "You know, I saw some of the scars on L's chest," Light whispered, holding the pin up to the light to see it better, making the thin, sharp piece of metal gleam. "They looked quite painful."

"I wouldn't know," Beyond replied, eyeing the needle that Light was examining. He didn't do it threateningly, didn't brandish it in Beyond's face, but the way he casually held it, gazing at it, almost engrossed with it, was almost more frightening than if the caramel-haired detective _had_ been doing so.

"No, you wouldn't, would you?" Light shook his head slightly, bring the needle down. "I've been thinking… You've done so much harm to L, to Watari… to me," Light said quietly. "You've tortured L both physically and mentally- you have no idea how… painful it is," Light continued, gripping the needle tightly in his hand, "to see him like he is. To see him like he was today."

Light was silent for a meet, before he returned his gaze to Beyond, cold anger glittering in Light's amber eyes. "You've no idea… and I've been thinking… perhaps you should learn how painful it was-is." He raised a hand to his heart, resting it gently on his chest. "It hurts… almost like a needle pricing you, burrowing deep into your skin and lodging there."

Light's voice was quiet and soft, almost soothing if not for the frighteningly emotional words coming from his lips. "But, you've always been the one wielding the needle, Beyond. I think… it's time to have the needle turned on you."

Beyond's eyes grew wide in sudden fear at seeing the deadly intent hidden within Light's amber eyes. He opened his mouth to protest, but a slim finger was suddenly placed onto his lips, hushing him. "No, don't argue. You love to learn new things, don't you? It's why you're so interested in L –to learn his limits and about the changes you've inflicted in him. Think of this, here, as a learning experience."

As he was talking, Light brought the long, thin pin up to Beyond's chest and placed the tip on his sternum, right over his heart. As the last word left Light's mouth, he paused for a second-

And then _pushed._

The sharp pin slid through Beyond's skin easily, making him cry in pain, twisting within the chair in a desperate attempt to escape.

"It's painful, isn't it?" Light asked, watching in fascination as the needle dug deeper into Beyond's skin. It slipped in easily, piercing through the layers of Beyond's skin with a disturbingly engrossing ease. "Very, very painful. I've seen the size of some of the needles you used on L when we first went into the warehouse to get him- it was worse for him, no doubt. This is only a few centimeters in. The other ones were easily an inch or longer and you probably stuck them all the way in, didn't you, Beyond?"

"Stop!" Beyond screamed, feeling the needle's tip hit the bone of his sternum. "What the fuck do you want?"

Suddenly, Light's face was very close to his, furious, burning amber eyes enveloping his vision, until they were the only thing Beyond could see. "Information," Light hissed, jerking the needle deeper into Beyond's chest, scraping painfully against his bone. "I want to know everything you've withheld from me, you sick bastard. I want you to tell me about those blueprints, about who else you've experimented upon, and I want to know how the _fuck_ to reverse the changes on L's physiology. And I want the _goddamned_ truth, not evasions and lies!"

"I'll tell! Fuck, I'll fucking tell!"

"Good," Light breathed, jerking the needle out of Beyond's chest, making him emit another painful scream and curl up into himself within the confines of his bonds. He stood up, turning away from Beyond and set the pin down onto the table.

He then grabbed the back of Beyond's chair and swung it around, pushing Beyond right against the edge of the table. Light pushed the blueprints towards the man, tapping a spot on the chip's outline. "Explain," Light demanded, not waiting for Beyond to recover.

"Explain what?" Beyond panted. "The price of tea in China?" A smirk was visible on the psycho's red lips, and Light paused a moment, staring at him, before shaking his head faux-regretfully.

He turned back to the table and picked up the same needle he had used, advancing back on Beyond. He knelt down, making Beyond's red eyes meet his and smiled almost benevolently before pressing the tip back into the small hole he had already made in Beyond's chest.

"I want to know how to make it. What materials are needed. How to implant it. How to turn it on." Light leaned closer, eyes narrowing. "Tell me everything. Although," Light continued, starting to slide the needle back into Beyond's chest, his smile only widening as pained cries spilled from Beyond's lips, "you'll do it with this in you, because of that smart little crack you made. L's well-being is not a joke to me as it is to you, you'll well learn."

* * *

An hour later, Light emerged from the room, closing it quietly behind him. Watari was waiting silently by the door, hands clasped behind his back.

Silently, Light handed a tape recorder to Watari along with the blueprints. The elderly man took them and his eyes scanned over the blueprints, pausing for a moment as he observed the bloodstains on the edge before moving on. "The instructions are recorded on this?" Watari asked, holding the tape up.

"Yes." Light folded his arms, bending his head to peruse the blueprints as well. "Watari… fuck. Some of the stuff needed…even as L, it's going to be hard to get our hands on certain materials. I don't want to just wait around, but it might take awhile to get ahold of what we need. Are there any contacts that you know that might be able to get us what we need faster?"

Watari flicked his eyes up at Light momentarily before slowly rolling the blueprints up, nodding reluctantly. "Yes. There are certain people I'm in contact with that may be able to get us the materials. Don't ask," Watari said, seeing a curious light in the other man's amber eyes. "These people are very secretive, and trust very few others. I was fortunate enough to be able to work with them during my time as an operative, but other than that, I cannot reveal anything more."

Light reluctantly nodded, accepting Watari's explanation. "Alright. I trust you, Watari."

"What, exactly, would we need, as a rough estimate?"

Light rubbed a hand down the front of his face, shaking his head. "Some shit that I don't know how Beyond even got his hands on it. One of it's some sort of steel alloy infused with carbon. Beyond said it was like the diamond of conductive metals- very hard and impossible to break without the right tools. It's the most important part- it's what wires the chip to the nervous system of L's brain, and conducts electricity between the microchip and the brain."

Watari's bows furrowed, his hand trailing over the outline of the ship on the blue paper. "Yes, I see what he's talking about... I've heard about this steel alloy. It's supposed to be extremely conductive as well as malleable. My contacts in various governments tell me that they're planning to switch to this new alloy and use it in their electronic technologies instead of copper or gold."

"Yes. That's what Beyond hinted at. However, this type of steel alloy is an innovation of the original. They already make steel alloy, and it's widely used for construction and power tools. This new one, though, goes through a special process that makes it more suitable for use in electronics by increasing the conductivity of it. However, the process is very complicated, and only certain people know of it. The governments are trying to strike a deal with those who know the process, attempting to either let them in on the secret or produce massive quantities of it for their own use. But, you need to know the right people in order to get to the people who can supply you with the alloy. "

Watari nodded, tapping the paper as he thought, making it rustle. "That makes sense… did you get the name of the contact?"

Light gave an almost eerie smile. "It took a bit of doing, but yes. I got it. It's recorded on the tape as well."

"Yes, Beyond's not one to give up information so easily. He was always a suborn child, I remember…" Watari trailed off, a look of contemplation spreading across his features. "In fact… there is something that's been disturbing me…" Watari trailed off, and Light cocked his head to the side, waiting for Watari to finish.

"What is that?" Light asked when Watari didn't continue after a minute.

"Just that… the past few days, it seems as if it's been relatively easy to get certain information out of Beyond…" Watari's eyes narrowed as he thought back to Light's interrogation of the psychopath.

Light raised an eyebrow, giving the man a speculative look. "Easy? Watari, I took of most of his toenails and there's a few patches of skin that I burned off that I don't think will ever grow back. I don't exactly call that easy."

"For him, it was. Beyond Birthday… he's in a class all of his own. He's the most stubborn child I had ever worked with, right after L. I remember…. When he was a child, if there was something he didn't want to do, neither hell nor high water could force him to do it. That's why this situation makes me uneasy. If Beyond didn't want us to know something, there would have been no amount of pain that could have ripped that information out of him. To you, it might not have seemed easy, but I know him… It should have taken much, much more to get that information. In fact, it seems almost as if…. he _wants_ us to have the information." Watari said, crossing his arms in contemplation.

"You think we're being manipulated?" Light asked, his eyes narrowing at the displeasing thought. If Beyond thought he could successfully manipulate him, then the psycho was so very wrong.

"I don't know _what_ to think, Light. All I know is that it shouldn't be this easy to get what we need from him. He's practically giving it up- which is disturbing to me. I feel as if something is off, Light, but I don't know what it is." Watari told him, shifting his weight subconsciously in an outward sign of his uneasy thoughts. "This whole situation seems wrong to me."

"Watari… I admit, I don't know Beyond Birthday as well as you, other than from what I've observed and heard from you," Light said, shaking his head before continuing. "But I trust your judgment. We'll watch him closely, monitor him day and night. I'll set up shifts with the rest of the team, so that it doesn't fall all onto your shoulders. And if it turns out something deeper is going on… well, I've learned my lesson, when L almost died today. I won't underestimate Beyond Birthday again, I assure you."

"Very well." Watari readjusted the blueprints before looking up at Light, brows furrowing as he observed the younger man trying to stifle a yawn. "Now, Light, go get some rest. It's been a very long day, and I'm sure you're tired."

Shaking his head, Light snapped his mouth shut, cutting off his yawn. "No. I need to go up and see how L's doing…" Thought the thought of traversing all the way up to the infirmary and then back down to his room sounded very appealing to his heavy, tired feet, he dismissed his own body's wants. It was his responsibly to take care of L- he had gotten the man into the situation he was in now, and so he would make sure L was alright and resting comfortably before taking care of his own needs.

Chuckling, Watari thought back to the former detective. "We moved him to your room. He wouldn't settle down, even with Miss Amane there. We eventually moved him to your room. He was awake, but peaceful when I left him a few minutes ago." A knowing glint was in Watari's faded blue eyes. "I think he was waiting for you."

Light felt a small twinge in his heart at Watari's words. Even after what had happened, L still trusted him, was still loyal. The blame for L getting hurt, for almost fucking _dying_ rested on Light's shoulders, and through he had no reason _not_ to, L didn't hate him.

It was… reassuring, in a way, and Light let a small smile tilt his lips up, relieved. He glanced back at the door before looking away. "We'll get started on that chip tomorrow, when everyone's fresh. I think that I'll put the others solely onto solving cases for now. You and I will work on this chip." Light rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the strain of the day taking its toll on his body. "It's a good thing that I took advanced engineering classes back in college. This," Light said ruefully, gesturing at the blueprints in a sweeping motion, "wouldn't make any sense whatsoever if I hadn't."

"Indeed," Watari nodded. "In a way… I am glad that you were the one to take over as L, Light. You've performed brilliantly, balancing your search for L with your cases. There was no one else I'd rather have worked with," he said softly.

Light paused, looking up and met Watari's eyes. There was nothing but sincerity in them, and Light dropped his eyes, nodding once to acknowledge the compliment. "Thank you, Watari."

"You're welcome, Light." There was a pause before Watari started to roll the blueprints for the chip up and slid them back into their case, making sure they were safe. They were the key to L's humanity, and Watari was going to make sure that nothing would happen to them. He slung the case over his shoulder and leveled a stern gaze onto Light. "Now, go get some sleep."

Light closed his eyes for a second, smiling before he tilted his head and turned towards the door. Foolish, caring old man. Still, it made something feel good inside of Light- being cared for sometimes… well, it sorta was nice.

"Alright," Light murmured, working to stifle another yawn- man, he really was tired... "Goodnight, Watari."

He almost didn't catch Watari saying the same thing back to him, but he still heard Watari's quiet "Goodnight" as he walked back to the elevator, pressing the button to take him up to his floor.

* * *

Light wasn't sure what to expect when he opened the door to his room- L had been asleep when he left the infirmary, but Watari said that he was awake.

Not wanting to wake L up in case he was asleep, Light opened the door and then shut it as quietly as he could. The lights were off, which made it hard to see, but the lights of the city filtering in from the window gave him enough to be able to see somewhat.

He silently made his way to the bedroom, stopping to unlace and remove the black boots that he still wore. He then opened the door to the bedroom softly, closing it behind him softly and then turning to face the bed.

He was met with a pair of wide, yellow eyes that almost seemed to glow in the darkness of the room, catching what little light streamed in from the window and reflecting it.

Light had to admit, it startled him for a moment, but then he recovered and shook his head. "Guess Watari wasn't lying when he said you were awake," Light said softly, stepping closer to the bed. Light could dimly see the way L's ears pricked up and he shifted, obviously attempting to get up.

"Hey, wait a moment!" Light exclaimed, rushing forwards and stopping L with a hand placed on the other man's shoulders. L immediately stilled, before sinking back down onto the bed with a small huff, a grimace passing over his face as the action pained him.

"See, you idiot?" Light chided, but there was no real conviction in his voice. He allowed his eyes to trail down L's body, wincing to himself as he saw the bandages littering L's body- and was thankful when he saw that Watari had thought to clad him in boxers, preserving his modesty. Light shook his head almost fondly as L sniffed in haughty compliance and set his head down, watching silently as Light drew back and slipped out of his black pants, leaving him in boxers.

He climbed onto the bed, wanting nothing more to just melt into the soft mattress. God, he was tired; this whole situation was taking a toll on him, both mentally and physically. But he shoved the thought away, instead climbing up next to L and shifting onto his side. He knew l liked to sleep next to him, and he didn't want L to have to move around to get next to him.

L's head whipped around, his yellow eyes regarding him almost curiously, before he huffed and tried to slide closer to Light, a small whine leaving his lips as he failed.

Light looked back, seeing L looking at him sorrowfully- he didn't have enough strength to move to shift closer to Light.

A pang struck Light's heart at that- L really had no idea that he was in this condition because of him. If he had been more careful and not as cocksure, he would have noticed the wire they tripped as they entered Beyond's main room in the warehouse that had released the experiment.

But… damn. L didn't have to do that; the fact that he had protected Light, that he had chosen to take the blows to prevent Light from being harmed only spoke volumes about how highly he regarded Light as his alpha.

And that thought warmed Light's heart. Perhaps, even if L remained like this for the rest of his life, if the chip didn't work, it wouldn't be so bad. As long as L continued to be close to him, to stay with him, that'd be alright.

That conviction firmly in mind, Light shifted closer to L, making the other man yip in shock as Light's right arm encircled L's chest, his left hand reaching up to tangle and rub L's coarsely furred ears. L was a bit shorter than he was, and he fit perfectly against Light's chest, his soft hair tickling the sensitive skin underneath his chin pleasantly, and L's soft cheek pressed against his chest.

It was… nice. Comforting, Light thought, having L so close to him. Even though he had to be careful of the injuries on L's body, making sure that he wasn't pressing against any bandages that indicated an injury, it didn't stop Light form pulling L the slightest bit closer. L was warm, and he actually smelled…not exactly nice, because he was dirty from the warehouse and somewhat sweaty, but his hair and skin carried the slightest musky smell, one that was totally unique to L himself.

It made warmth spread throughout Light, lingering in his stomach- one that he easily recognized, now that he had had time to puzzle out his feelings for L. But this time, it didn't bring any sense of shame with it.

He knew where he stood with L, and he had sorted out his feelings and come to terms with them. He was attracted to L, and being this close to him… it made Light want to do a lot of things, the thoughts dancing and flickering around in his mind.

But he knew that he wouldn't do follow through; it would be wrong to, and so he simply laid on the bed, enjoying L being this close to him.

For he knew that he wouldn't be able to do this once L was in possession of his human mind once more, and so, he chose to simply enjoy the feeling of L's warm body against his own, tilting his head down so that he could gaze upon L's face. His hand scrubbed through L's hair, fondling the pointed tips of his ears, enjoying the feel of the hair. It was a bit dirty from his fight with the experiment, but was still soft and pleasing to the touch.

L seemed frozen for a moment at Light's pulling him closer, his eyes flickering up at Light and then down in confusion. Eventually, after a length of consideration, he seemed to accept this new change of events and he relaxed, tilting his head up to sniff at Light's chin, before giving it a small, affectionate lick, as a wolf would do to a packmate.

It was reminiscent of last night, and Light could only smile at the sign of affection as L huffed pleasedly and shifted closer, his tail curling over his knees, the tip of it brushing over Light's exposed, bare legs.

The feel of coarse black fur tickling his leg made Light jump slightly before he stilled, smiling slightly.

Even though things were majorly fucked up, with an insane psychopath locked up a few floors beneath him, an injured L, and a team who thought he was slightly insane for doing what he was, everything seemed okay, at the moment, with L with him.

And tomorrow… he'd start working on the chip. He'd start the process of returning everything back to normal, with L taking over his duties once more, a strong, driven man intent on locking up the world's worst criminals. He'd return to being Light's idol, the man he had admired since L had first started gaining recognition as the World's Greatest Detective.

And… he only hoped that after everything was fixed and back to normal, with the new chip returning L back to human… things would continue to remain okay.

* * *

Well. The little detective surely was protective of the subject, wasn't he?

This was very, very pleasing. It would just be that much easier to manipulate him when the time came to enact the final stage of the plan.

Which would be very soon, no doubt. Everything was clicking together, sliding so smoothly.

The only problem was with that damn butler or whatever the hell he was nowadays. He might suspect… no. He could suspect all he wanted; there was no way he could possibly figure out what was going on.

Everything was proceeding exactly to plan.

And it would continue to do so.


	11. The Better to Shock You With

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, continue to enjoy the story.

* * *

Light's nose wrinkled as he slowly gained consciousness, feeling an irritating prickling sensation brush over his face and across his legs.

Slitting an eye open irritably, his bleary gaze eventually cleared to show a pair of large yellow eyes not two inches from his face. Light could see the differentiating shades of yellow streaking out from the iris, and from this close, he could see small green flecks around the pupil that would catch the light and reflect it, making the yellow eyes seem as if they glowed when it was dark.

L.

He squeezed his eyes shut, sighing in annoyance. He was so very comfortable, and didn't want to get up…

A small whine from his side and the feel of a nose nudging his face made him shoot up in shock, however, as memories of yesterday came flooding back to Light in a barrage of images. A flash of guilt streaked through him as he remembered how annoyed he had been with L a few moments before- he had no right to be angry at L, not after all he had done for Light.

And then, his next thought: L had almost died yesterday- he was alright, right?

Frantically, heart pounding, Light snapped his head over to the side, amber eyes locking onto L.

He was lying on his side, looking up at Light almost confusedly, head cocked to the side. His black tail thumped once as an acknowledgement to Light before he set his head down, regarding Light from under his lashes and with his ears pricked up.

He was still covered in bandages, but Light calmed at seeing that no blood had soaked through them. That was good, then. And that L was alive… that was a definite relief. It had been such a close thing yesterday…his heart clenched at remembering L barely hanging on in the car, his eyes fluttering and body limp as Light carried him to the infirmary.

But… he was fine now. No need to worry. They had gotten the blueprints, L was here and alright now, and they could get to work on producing the chip and getting L's mind back to normal. And then, when L's intelligence had been restored, they could work on reversing the physiological changes.

Right, then.

Light was broken from his thoughts by the tip of L's nose nudging his shoulder, huffing as his tail thumped on the bed. He rolled his eyes, knowing that L most likely wanted to get up and had to go to the bathroom. But as hurt as the wolfish detective was, he'd most likely need help…

"Right, right," he sighed, shaking his head. Reluctantly, Light sat up, rolling his shoulders and suppressing a groan as the action stretched out his stiff muscles. All that Light had gone through in the past few days- the emotional stress, and the physical stress of fighting with L- had taken their toll on his body. The marks on his chest had yet to heal, and he even winced as rolling his shoulders agitated them, sending a burning ache through the still healing skin.

"Fuck," Light cursed, grumbling as he swung his legs over the side. He flicked the bedcovers away as he did so, though he secretly longed for the warmth and comfort as he was forced to leave the bed.

But L came first, and so Light made his way to the other side of the bed, where L was watching him, eagerness shining in his eyes. "Just hold on," Light mumbled, going to his closet and grabbing a shirt and a pair of slacks, slipping them hastily on before he turned back to L.

He paused for a moment to examine L, raising an eyebrow as he did so. Looks like bed-head didn't just apply to the hair on the top of head. From where he was standing, he could see that the black strip of fur tracing along L's spine stood up and spiked off to the side in random places, or simply lied flattened. L's black tail was much in the same condition, poofing out at random places instead of lying mostly smooth. Funnily enough, L's hair was the neatest out of the three- well, as neat as L's flyaway hair ever got. It didn't look much different than normal.

Still, it was kind of… cute, in a way, with L's fur ruffled and spiked in wayward directions, lying in a swath of blankets on their bed.

_The only thing ruining the picture are those blasted bandages, _Light thought, noting the strips of white fabric running all along L's body. The reminder of what had happened to cause this soured Light's mood and he felt, not for the first time, a stab of guilt, feeling as if he was to blame for L's incapacitated state.

Shaking his head, Light saw some bandages on the nightstand out of the corner of his eye- no doubt a concerned Watari had left them there before leaving after dropping L off last night. Light knew that L most likely had to go to the bathroom, but he needed his bandages changed first, before he did anything else.

"Alright," Light sighed, raking a hand through his hair as he walked to the edge of the bed. "Let me see…" Reaching out, he was about to tug on one of the white wrappings, but cursed and quickly withdrew his hand as L's yellow eyes narrowed, his eagerness shifting to a self-protectiveness and he snapped at Light's outstretched appendage.

"L!" Light snapped, clenching the hand that had almost been bitten in front of him, cradling it protectively as he glared at L.

The detective only glared back, shifting into a more protective crouch and hiding his wounds from Light. He bared his teeth, glowering at Light balefully.

_Protective behavior_, Light thought.

Wounded animals were very protective of themselves when hurt, as they feared showing weakness and potential pain from exposing their wounds.

It was just one of L's natural, instinctive responses, yet Light couldn't check L's bandages and replace them if L was acting like this. And it was completely unacceptable for L to be behaving like this, especially towards himself, whom he knew L regarded as his alpha. It was a bad habit for L to start, not to mention that it was a bad form of insubordination on L's part.

"L, stop this," Light growled, reaching out again slowly. This time around, he made sure to keep a wary eye on L, who was regarding his hand with a dangerous glint in his yellow eyes. When Light's hand got within a foot of L's body, L predictably snapped at it once more- but Light was ready for it this time around.

He took advantage of L's momentary distractedness to reach his other hand around in a quick movement to grab L's the back of L's neck, his fingers tangling in the coarse fur starting at the base of L's neck.

Yanking L's head up, he forced the detective to meet his eyes, narrowing them into annoyed slits. "Don't bite at me," Light growled, seriously annoyed. L held his eyes for a few moments, shock and an instinctive fear flitting across L's face, before he dropped his eyes and swiveled his ears back in a submissive display, whining softly.

"Good." Light let L go, watching as the detective shifted farther away from Light, though he uncurled himself slightly. Shaking his head, Light grabbed up the bandages and crawled onto the bed, kneeling next to L and shooting him an irritated growl. "Trying to bite my hand like that… Jesus, L."

L only snorted, watching Light warily as he unrolled a few fresh bandages and set them off to the side. He then turned back to L, reaching out to start unwrapping the bandages, keeping his eyes locked with L and silently daring him to try something again. L seemed to understand that Light wouldn't tolerate any more behavioral problems, though, and flattened his ears, turning his head away with a grimace.

Assured that L wouldn't try anything again, Light gently untied the bandages around L's torso, tugging them off and setting them off to the side before turning back to examine them-

And froze in shock, letting out a soft curse.

They… were healed.

There were no open wounds, no blood- only raised pink lines where the slashes used to be.

Raising a trembling hand, Light ghosted his fingers over the lines left behind by the experiment, L letting his displeasure be shown in the soft growl that rumbled from his chest. Light failed to notice this in his state of incredulously, though, as he stared wide-eyed at L's exposed body.

This… this was impossible. There was no way Beyond could have altered L's anatomy, his very DNA _this_ much!

Genetically mutating L's anatomy to give him wolfish appendages, senses and reflexes as well as changing his brain patterns to think like a wolf was one thing.

But… in order to do something like this, Beyond would have had to alter every single cell of DNA in L's body, not just the cells that dealt with his motor controls and physical appearance. To do this, beyond would have had to alter L's metabolism, the way his platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells worked, as well as the speed at which his skin repaired itself.

This was… it was something that had been considered, worked for, and eventually given up on. There was just no way that modern scientists knew to do something of this magnitude.

Speed up the repair of muscle tissue and skin tissue, yes. That was possible, through use of ointments, vitamins, and certain types of therapy. But not at this rate, and for the body to do it by itself without any sort of outside interference from solutions or creams or any sort of human influence…

Light shifted backwards, slowly crawling off the bed and rising to his feet, pulling out his phone and punching in Watari's number, never taking his eyes off of L, who stayed on the bed, a displeased look on his face.

Watari picked up on the first ring; he always did, unless something was wrong.

_"Light? Is there something-"_

"I need you to get here now, Watari." Light's voice was calm but urgent; he desperately needed the elder man to see this, but it was not a rush.

Watari was silent for a moment, processing Light's voice and words, before he responded. _"Two minutes, Light."_

"Thank you." Light then disconnected the call, replacing the phone back into the pocket of his slacks.

He didn't have to wait very long before his door opened and Watari stepped in, a worried frown marring his features. "Light? What's wrong?"

Light pointed at L. "That's what's wrong. _Look_," Light said, indicating the already healed scars; in the short time Light had looked away, the pink tinged had lessened even more, a silvery, faded tinge starting to bloom in the middle of the raised skin.

Watari's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, L's head rising to regard him with a level stare.

L calmly lay still while Watari came closer, reaching out to poke at the scars that by all rights, should not be there. "I don't know what to say," Watari admitted, leaning closer to get a better look. "This is… what Beyond has accomplished goes beyond the realm of things thought possible. It's not bad, just…"

"Unnatural," Light finished, scrubbing his hand over his face and resisting the urge to laugh hysterically.

Things had gone from fucked up- with L's transformation- to fucked up and downright _freakish_.

"Unnatural," Watari agreed, and they both stared as slowly, the pink faded from L's skin and left the scars faded and silvery, as if they were years old instead of a single day.

* * *

A month later…

Black ears perked up as he slunk forwards on silent, clawed feet. Yellow eyes were open wide and shining with sadistic excitement as he neared his target.

The prey was within easy jumping distance now, and yellow eyes glittered as they locked onto the prey. Crouching down on his haunches, he crawled forwards a few more feet, breath hitching and muscles tense as he readied himself, about to pounce-

"No, L."

L froze as his alpha whirled to glare at him. Over time, he had learned the meaning of that odd human noise- it was a negative, used to communicate that he should not be doing whatever it was that he was doing.

And in this case, it was playing that was frowned upon by his alpha.

Eyes narrowing in irritation, he let out a haughty huff, stood up and slunk away, obeying his alpha unhappily. Swiveling his ears around, L listened to the sound of his other pack mates doing whatever it was that humans did- odd creatures, they were.

They did not hunt, they didn't take naps in the warm sunshine, nor did they feel the urge to play and roughhouse in order to reaffirm the familial bonds of the pack and to hone their reflexes and senses. Neither did they have any sort of warm fur-covering, aside from the patches on their heads, or flesh-tearers on their paws.

He glanced down at his own paw, shuddering as he did so.

Whenever L thought of that, he thought of the hostile wolf that he had dueled with that long time before.

His lip curled as he dropped to the ground, curling up into a lazy circle and yawning, before he settled down and curled his lip at the thought of the hostile wolf. He had been a lone male, a solitary alpha, and while L knew that they had been invading his territory without permission, they were the larger, strong pack and the hostile wolf should have backed down.

But he must have had the disease that drove their kind to madness- for he had not backed down but had immediately went straight for his alpha, recognizing him as the leader of their party, intent on killing him and no doubt taking over.

L let out a little growl that drew the attention of his other packmates as he remembered that encounter with a mixture of hate, anger, smugness and pain.

He had defended his alpha- it was what he did, as a show of his loyalty. And he had won, the thought of which made L grin wolfishly as he laid his head down on the floor, resting his chin on his paws and letting out a small huff of a laugh.

The hostile wolf had been wrong to challenge him- and now he was dead because of his foolishness. L made a small, smug sound in the back of his throat. He had proved himself superior and defended his pack by engaging the hostile wolf. It would not have done to let his alpha fight while he simply stood back- his protective instincts would not allow that, nor would his pride or concern for the well-being of his family. If his alpha was incapacitated, how would he lead?

L was lower in rank; he was not so important as his alpha, and so it would not matter if he was harmed as much as if his alpha had been hurt.

Though L knew that his alpha had not been pleased with his actions. He had smelt and sensed anger radiating off his alpha, and L suspected it was both at him for daring to engage the hostile wolf when it was the alpha's right to do it and prove himself worthy of defending the pack, and also at the hostile wolf for daring to attack them.

Though… L shifted to his other side, an ear twitching in contemplation as he yawned to clear his thoughts and prevent himself from drifting off… he was proud of himself for defeating the wolf that had dared threaten them… it had been a horrendous fight, one that had left him with painful wounds.

L _still_ winced when he thought about them, even though they were fully healed by now, and had been for quite some time. And he was still subconsciously protective of the areas that had been hurt, just because the memory of the way the hostile wolf's claws had ripped through his skin and muscle, digging deep into his body and lodging there.

And the pain!

Oh, it had hurt so badly…

L let out a small whine at the memory, making his alpha pause in whatever it was he was doing and look over at him. Oops- he hadn't meant to draw attention.

He let out a yawn and licked his lips to show that it was alright- nothing was wrong, and his alpha held his eyes for a moment before lifting his shoulders L had come to learn was a dismissive measure and turned back to whatever it was he had been doing before L accidentally drew his attention.

And then, L set his head back down, his train of thought broken, and so he decided to simply observe until he fell asleep- for he felt the tiredness creeping up in his brain. There was nothing better to do, so he thought that if he did go to sleep, it would be alright.

L sneakily watched his alpha through half-lidded eyes, flicking an ear in contemplation as he studied the human's form lazily.

Humans were odd creatures- and his alpha was no exception to that rule.

How any creature could balance on two legs was beyond him, yet his alpha managed it- and quite gracefully, too. Though he was sort of loud with those paw-coverings, L decided as his eyes flicked down to the black things covering his alpha's paws.

They sort of smelled good, though- they had a prey-like scent to them, and L had been a bit confused when his alpha had taken them off and L had sniffed at them, discovering this. It made him want to chew on them, just to see if they did taste like food, but had backed off after his alpha had growled at him, asserting his dominance and clearly telling him to back off of his property.

His alpha was looking at something that held L's interest in no way whatsoever, his alpha's patriarch looked to be dozing, his head resting on his paw as he sat at one of the great wooden things that the members of his pack always seemed to be at, and the rest of his pack looked preoccupied as well.

His tail swished back and forth in a lazy wagging motion as he tilted his head to the side, resting his head upon his paws. What had happened to nap and play times? He understood "work" was important to the members of his pack- work to humans was important as the hunt was to those of his kind, but surely, his packmates had time to play and nap and eat and everything else that was fun and relaxing?

Surely, this "work" that consisted of staring at the same spot for long periods of time and sitting in hat uncomfortable-looking position humans forced themselves into was not all humans did? Though L wasn't sure- in all the time he had been a part of this pack, it seemed like they hardly did anything else. L was always the one to initiate play, sleep, and various other things.

Rolling his eyes, he tilted his head to the side to run a paw over it, feeling an itch in his ear before he settled back down. His eyes flitted over the forms of his packmates, feeling a rising irritation well in his chest and brain, causing his eye to twitch.

He was bored, L admitted, his tail thumping once in irritation as he yawned. There was nothing to do…

A burst of sound that L knew indicated a human's amusement drew his attrition, and L's head snapped up, eyes drifting over to see one of his packmates throwing his head back to let the sound issue from his throat.

It was coming from the human that he had first met as part of the pack- the human that always had a sense of happiness and contentment radiating off him- L could smell it. He seemed to be one of the more good-natured humans, and never seemed averse to playing.

L's tail thumped a few times and a small smile came over his face, tongue coming to loll out the slightest bit at the thought.

His alpha might not want to indulge in playing- he tossed an unseen glare in the direction of his alpha, bent over his work, brows furrowed in concentration- but perhaps another packmate would…

Getting up stealthily, L stretched his muscles out, limbering them before he slunk over closer, a small spark of excitement lighting his eyes as they locked upon the unfortunate soul he had chosen as his playmate.

* * *

"Whoa!"

Light jumped, startled by the sudden outburst from Matsuda and the sound of a stack of papers and other desktop paraphernalia being knocked off the desk, falling to the ground.

"What the hell-?!" Light started incredulously, whirling around and fearing to see what had happened. But he stopped as he took note of the situation, and then pressed his hand against his temple, shaking his head. "Not again…"

For L and Matsuda were rolling around on the floor, wrestling and making the rest of the team scatter off, to prevent getting knocked over as the two men tussled. L's eyes were narrowed in focus, and while his teeth were bared in a frightening snarl, he made no attempt to snap at Matsuda, only nipping at his skin in gentle, mock-bites. Growls and snarls constantly issued from his chest as he tried to roll Matsuda over and pin him, but there was a playful, happy light in his eyes that belied his true intentions to simply have a good, fun romp.

Matsuda was laughing as he attempted to knee L off of him, throwing his weight to the side in an effort to throw the wolfish man off of him. He brought his arms up to his neck, chuckling as he warded off L's playful attempts to nip at him. Stretching his neck up, Matsuda bit at L's ear gently, making L yip and roll away, shaking himself off.

Matsuda laughed at L, making him let out a good-natured growl before grinning wolfily at Matsuda and jumped on him once more, making both men roll a few times as their play resumed.

It wasn't until a good ten minutes later, the action came to a stop and Matsuda flopped onto his side, panting, while L lay on his stomach, letting out a wide yawn that showcased his ivory-colored fangs. "Man," Matsuda panted, looking to L who was grinning in a wolfish, smug way, "I'm pooped."

L let out a hoarse little series of cough-huffs at Mastuda's words and tone, a sound that Light had come to learn was L's wolfish way of laughing. It was a funny sound, on that had Soichiro's eyebrows raising and Light smirking upon hearing it.

Matsuda glanced back at L incredulously, never having heard L laugh in his wolfish way before joining in with his own series of chuckles. "That was fun, though. Tired me right out…" He looked to Light with a desolate expression before laying his head back. "Do I have to go back to work?"

Light thought a moment, before shaking his head. He wasn't a harsh taskmaster, and with Matsuda as tired as he was, he'd most likely not be getting anything else done today. "No, we've met our weekly quota for cases. I don't think a slack day will hurt anyone."

If it had been a year ago and they were desperately trying to locate L while working on the Kira case, Light would have never allowed it. But now, with no pressing cases, the microchip's completion on a halt until they got what they needed, and L safe and sound here, there was no reason to push work.

"Thank God," Matsuda breathed, smiling, before he blinked and tilted his head up in surprise as he felt a weight settle onto his chest.

L had shifted over to Matsuda, curling up with his tail resting comfortably across his knees, resting his head on Matsuda's chest. He heaved a sigh as he tightened the ball his body had curled into, yawning hugely before licking his lips and settling once more, ears drooping lazily to the side and backwards limply.

"Hey- I can't get up!" Matsuda said, throwing a panicked glance to Light. He shifted slightly in a futile attempt to wiggle away, but L only snuggled closer, making a displeased sound in the back of his throat.

Light couldn't help the smile that curled his lips upwards and crinkled the skin around his eyes. He knew exactly what was going on, and it amused him. "Don't worry, Matsuda- wolves often curl up with one another after playing for short, rejuvenating naps. He'll probably move and go do something else in another half an hour or so," Light told him, turning back to flipping through his papers.

His eyes scanned over the papers Watari had given him detailing the progress on the microchip and the obtaining of the materials he needed, ignoring Mastuda's sudden, despairing protests. He had seen something that made his brows furrow, and he reached out to run a finger over the typed words, tapping it as he thought.

_I've made contact with the man needed to get the alloy from. He refused to speak to me after I told him I was calling for L. He said that if I worked for L, I could tell him that you needed to call him yourself- in other words, he will only speak to you, not someone who works under you. The number is written below; I suggest you call him at the soonest possible time. The alloy is all that we need to complete the microchip, and the sooner we get it, the sooner we can get L's mind fixed._

Light frowned as he read this, thinking. Watari was right- they had painstakingly crafted the hard, black plastic exterior of the microchip and the miniscule circuitboard that was needed to redirect L's thought patterns, changing them from wolf-like to human. All that was needed was the thin steel alloy. It would run from the circuitboard in the chip to L's brain, connecting the two and re-routing the electrical nerve impulses of L's brain, running them through the circuit to change them into the pattern directed by the chip.

The steel alloy was the single most important part- and the last thing they needed before the chip was completed and ready to be inserted into L's brain.

He made a mental note to call the number as soon as possible, memorizing it. He flicked through the other papers, noting the progress they had made that was summed up in Watari's evaluations. The process of making the microchip was a delicate process, and Watari was more knowledgeable in the process of creating it than Light.

If Light had his way, he'd simply let Watari take care of the whole thing, but the elderly man's hands were not as steady and graceful as they used to be, and his eyesight was not as clear as it was in his younger years either. And working with such small tools and materials, both things were needed. SO Light did the material work of actually putting the chip together while Watari expertly guided and directed him. Matsuda had even been called in to help sometimes, to hold things and hand tools off to Light when there was an extremely delicate task to be done.

"You know, I'm kinda thirsty now…" Mastuda suddenly said from his position on the floor. Light tilted his head back to the pair, seeing L sleeping happily next to Matsuda, twitching and huffing every now and then. Matsuda had shifted to put his arms behind his head, and now that he was comfortable, it didn't seem that he minded L sleeping half on him.

"It's your own fault, idiot," Aizawa said irritably, as he bent and starting to retrieve the scattered papers from the floor, deeming it safe now that Matsuda and L were done. "You could have stopped him, but you indulged him in his stupid little game instead. And now look- there's a mess everywhere!"

"What's wrong with you?" Matsuda asked, making Aizawa blink in shock as the younger man sat up, giving Aizawa a confused, irritable look. Light and the rest of the team were taken aback as well, not used to Matsuda being so outspokenly defensive. Even L's eyes opened, disturbed by Matsuda's sudden movement.

He rolled his eyes over to stare at Matsuda, his ears fully forwards and pricked in interest at the upset tone on Matsuda's voice, and sensing the discord between his two "packmates".

"Look, I know you don't like L, but it's not his fault he's like this. If he was still human in his mind, then yeah, it'd be weird. But L's not human- he's an animal in his mind, and to him, it'd probably be weirder if we _didn't_ go along with his whims. And I don't mind- it's actually kinda fun, being able to play around like this," Matsuda added, leaning back and scowling at the stunned Aizawa.

Suddenly, L let out a little groaning noise in the back of his throat, lying his head back down with a huff, as if bored with the whole proceedings.

"I agree with Mastuda," Mogi suddenly said, surprising everyone, as the man rarely spoke. "It's not hurting anything to go along with him, and if it keeps him happy and his claws and fangs away from us, who are we to stop it? It's not for much longer, anyways."

"Mogi's right, Aizawa," Light cut in, a bit distracted as he went through the progress report on the microchip, making a list of what they still had to do. It wasn't much, yet there were still important, vital things needing to be completed.

"Light?"

He raised his head at Aizawa's incredulous voice, his eyes flitting over to a contentedly resting L, and then back to Aizawa. "I've said it before, back when I first brought L up here. If you're not comfortable with him, you're free to work somewhere else. I refuse to lock L up or hinder his actions just because they're not normal. You need to stop being so negative about this and come to terms with the changes in L if you want to continue working here." He fixed Aizawa with a level, stern glare. "Understand?"

"I- yes." Aizawa nodded, setting the papers onto the desk. "I understand. I only ask that L not disrupt work here anymore. it's distracting and can be frustrating to keep being interrupted like this."

"That's a reasonable request," Light allowed, willing to compromise. "L can stay here, while we work, but if he starts getting to disruptive in his playful tendencies, I'll have Matsuda take him somewhere else, or I'll go with him. Does that sound alright with everyone?"

Everyone nodded, and Light, pleased with the compromise, turned back to his papers. 'Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a report to finish going over, and then a phone call to make."

* * *

_"Hello?"_

The voice on the other end of the phone was male, and hoarse and scratchy.

Light cleared his throat before he spoke, the voice-scrambler that was built into the phone making his voice distorted and L-like. "This is L."

_"Hm. I thought you might be calling. I only talk to those who are in charge, never their underlings."_

He raised an eyebrow at that- haughty son-of-a-bitch. "I was told that you are one of those who make steel alloy…?"

_"Yeah, that's right. You got the code?"_

"Yes. 908CV54."

_"Alright. Guess you're the real thing. Right. What do you need? Like, what shape do you need the alloy to be in, and how much?"_

Light repressed the urge to let out a sigh of relief- the code had worked, and now, he just had to get his hands on that alloy and everything would be set to go from there. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as he replied. "It's for a microchip- a very small one. I don't need very much, just about-"

_"Four centimeters long, 1/8 of a centimeter in diameter?"_

The man cut him off, and Light frowned, not caring so much at the rudeness, but that the man seemed to know exactly what he needed. It was peculiar, and after being L for a while, he had come to dislike anything that was odd or off. "…Yes. How did you know?"

_"Eh, about a year or so ago, I got another order for a length of alloy that was for a microchip. Same dimensions that I just listed. Funny, too- the person that ordered it used the same code you gave me. No unusual, though, for different people to use the same codes- there's about 5 that I respond to, and people give them to others all the time- or rip them out of their throats, don't really care which as long as they pay for the alloy at the end of the day."_

Choking back a gasp, Light sat straight up, his eyes wide as realization hit him. "The person who used the code to order this wire a year ago… was that person's name Beyond Birthday, by any chance?"

_"Beyond Birthday? Nah, don't know anyone with that kinda name- though I have to say, if someone did call here with that name, I'd have remembered it. Beyond Birthday… what sorta fucked-up parents name their kid that weird-ass name?"_

Light relaxed at the man's words, though his brows furrowed as he thought. If it wasn't Beyond Birthday… who else would be making a microchip? "Not Beyond Birthday…? Then, who was it?" Light asked, wanting answers.

_"Some chick, I think. Sounded like a woman, anyways. Didn't give a name, just said to refer to her as anonymous and that she'd be sending an associate to pick it up. Sure enough, next day, bloke comes and picks it up, pays in cash. Very suspicious, but I don't ask questions."_

Could Beyond Birthday have disguised his voice to sound like a woman to make sure no one knew it was him? It was certainly possible- if Beyond was clever enough to turn L into what he was today, for Christsakes, he was intelligent enough to build a voice-scrambler like L- and now Light- used.

It was the only thing Light could think of.

"What did this associate look like?"

If it could give him a lead… if he could find the associate this man spoke of, perhaps it would help him to find out what was going on.

_"Like any other Japanese man in this country. Short black hair, dark eyes, 5 feet, 8 inches- really nondescript sort of guy. Like, you'd see him once on the street and forget about him. Normal, nothing really remarkable about him. You done asking questions?"_

Associate… Light's brows furrowed as he thought.

Watari had mentioned once that Beyond Birthday was a master of disguises. With the right makeup and materials, he could have changed his appearance to look like a totally different person, or paid someone to pick up the alloy he used to create the microchip.

Anything was possible with the psychopath, anything plausible, and it frustrated Light to know that he couldn't know exactly what Beyond Birthday had done. Of course, he could go ask the psychopath himself- and he made a mental note to do that later.

Not that it really mattered what means Beyond had used to get the alloy.

"Yes," Light said, realizing he had drifted away and the man was waiting for his reply. Oops.

_"Right. I'll tell you the amount when you come to pick it up. Come to the supermarket off of 5__th__ and 4__th__ street downtown tomorrow at 5 in the afternoon- my deliverer'll be sitting on the bench outside, dressed in a black sweatshirt and holding a box. He'll tell you how much it is and give the order to you when you pay."_

And then, the line disconnected and Light was left alone.

* * *

"Hey! Moikiro!" Misa waved as she spotted the slim, tall figure of her friend in the café of the local mall, signaling her over. They had agreed to meet here today so that Moikiro could give Misa her birthday present before leaving the country. Misa's friend had told her she was leaving to study law in America, but had wanted to give Misa her birthday present before she left, as she wouldn't be able to be there for the actual event, which was in a few days.

Moikiro smiled at her as she made her way to Misa's tale, setting a pink bag down next to her seat as she slid into her chair. "Hello, Misa," she greeted. "I'm afraid I don't have long- my plane is to leave here in a few hours and I have to go get checked in to the terminal. But here's your present," she said with a grin, picking up the bag and setting it onto the table.

"Yes!" Misa said happily, reaching out for it, only to draw her hand back as Moikiro slapped her wrist. "What was that for?" Misa pouted.

"You can only open it when you're in private," Moikiro told her, a stern glint in her eyes.

Misa grinned at that, fingering the tissue that was spilling out of the bag. "Oh, is it something naughty?"

Moikiro laughed, getting up as she did so and picking up her purse. "You'll have to see for yourself," Moikiro said, winking as she pushed her chair in. "I have to go, though. Catch you later!"

"Bye-bye!" Misa said, waving as she eyed her bag happily. Moikiro had promised her that her present would be a _big_ surprise…

Laughing happily to herself, she picked it up and left the mall, heading back to her own apartment, where she set her purse down on the table and made her way into the living room. Sitting down cross-legged on the couch, she ripped the tissue paper away from the bag eagerly, tossing it off to the side as she reached in, to pull out a plastic bag with something in it.

"Hm?" Misa hummed, brows knitting as she turned the bag over. It was a black notebook set inside a Ziploc bag. "I wonder what the big surprise about this is…"

Shrugging, Misa opened the bag, turning it over so that the notebook fell onto the couch.

She set the bag aside, reached to pick up the notebook-

And began screaming as her fingertips touched the cover.


	12. The Better to Fix You With

Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers- please, continue to enjoy the story.

And happy birthday, EveningBlack!

* * *

_I'm sorry about all of this._

_This wasn't what I wanted, you know._

_If there was a way to prevent what I know is going to happen…_

_I'd have done it long ago._

_But I can't. _

_So for now, all I can do is…_

_Watch. Wait._

_And allow things to play out. _

_I'm sorry._

* * *

"Watari, I want you to stay with L today," Light told Watari as he got dressed the next afternoon. He had chosen to go to meet the maker of the steel ally's deliverer instead of anyone else, simply because he wanted to see if he could ask some questions and get some answers.

If the deliverer was the one who always did it, perhaps they would know something about the person who had picked up that order for the same thing he was in need of a year ago.

It was a long shot, but it was something to go off of. Watari had mentioned that Beyond seemed off; Light had a feeling something more complex was brewing underneath the surface, and that there were things that Beyond either wasn't telling them, or wasn't _able_ to tell them.

He'd come this far in his attempts to restore L's mind; the microchip was almost done, and he couldn't allow anything to go wrong. He owed it to L.

Watari nodded, glancing over to where L was lying on the bed, watching Light in interest. But then again, he always watched Light; it was nothing new.

Though Watari sometimes worried about what would happen after L's mind was fixed; a routine had been established and he suspected that Light had unconsciously formed a stronger bond with L than they had suspected. But this was a routine born of the way L was right _now_; he was attached to Light because of the way his mind was now.

Would that continue to be even after L's mind was restored? He knew of the effects of Stockholm Syndrome, and the lingering feelings of attachment that the captive held to the captor. While this was nothing like a captive situation, Watari worried that there would be lingering resonances of attachment for both Light and L- how would Light take it when L was no longer willing to follow him about and be with him, as he had no doubt grown accustomed to? And would L continue to feel a lingering, subconscious attachment towards Light, a remainder of his time with his altered mind?

And… how would L react, as a human, to the animalistic changes in his body?

Though they had not yet even forayed into reversing the physical alterations on L's body, from his processing of L's DNA, Watari had an inkling of a feeling that the changes Beyond had inflicted on L's DNA to cause these changes were, in all likelihood, permanent.

How would L take this, once he was human in mind once more?

Not well, Watari feared. While L lived a mostly reclusive life, he was by no means totally confined to the buildings in which he worked, and he did catch planes and other modes of transportation that required him to go out into public.

It would be very hard to disguise the changes in L; especially in summer, when gloves to cover his hands and winter boots- which Watari thought were the only thing that might be able to hide L's feet while still maintaining comfort for him- were not needed.

It was a frustrating, worrying situation, and though Watari knew that he needed to take one thing at a time, he couldn't help but worry about the future and what might possibly be coming.

He broke out of his thoughts as he saw L getting up out of the corner of his eyes, yellow eyes lighting up excitedly as he saw Light get his shoes on, knowing instinctively that something was going on.

Light frowned at him as he wriggled his foot around in his shoe, getting it fitted on right. "L, no," Light sighed exasperatedly. "You can't follow after me today, sorry."

Seeing the way L's eyes dimmed and his face bled to a look of disappointment and confusion, Watari's heart went out to his charge. Human-minded or not, L was still his responsibility, his ward, and in a way, his own child. It pained him to see L disappointed over such a simple thing, and that led him to step forwards, taking charge of the situation.

"No, Light. You have more important things to do."

Confused, Light turned to Watari, pausing in buttoning up the coat he had just slipped on. "What do you mean?" Light questioned.

"The microchip is not yet ready for the steel alloy wire- if I remember correctly, the frame for the wire still needs to be placed and glued," Watari explained, nodding to himself. "I'd do it while you were gone, but my eyesight and hands…" he shrugged. "I cannot. However, if you were to stay and do it while I get the alloy wire, I'm sure that the glue for the frame would be dry by the time I got back, and the wire could be welded in. It would actually save time if I were to go and get it," Watari told him.

Light paused, a thoughtful glint coming to his eye, before understanding dawned and a small smile tugged at his full lips. He glanced over to L, whose eyes were flickering uncertainly between the two of them, sensing something different going on, but unsure of what it was.

Finally, with a small chuckle, Light nodded and took off his coat, L perking up as he saw Light doing it, heralding that he was not going anywhere and going to be leaving him behind. "Alright, Watari," Light said good-naturedly. "I'll do that while you go and get the alloy. And then, when you get back, you can tell me how to weld it in, and we'll be that much closer to it being done."

"Actually, Light," Watari reminded him, wondering how Light could have possibly forgotten this, "this… it's the last thing we need to do before the chip is completed."

Light froze, his amber eyes widening as he paused in slipping off his shoes to glance over to Watari. It was… "What?"

"All we have to do is set the wire, place the plastic backing over the chip, and then it's done. It should be done by later this morning; I've called in the doctor and scheduled L's operation for this evening, so that he may sleep off the effects of the anesthesia overnight," Watari told him, feathery white eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Light had to have known; this was what the boy had been working towards for the last few months, after all.

"The doctor will be here in a few hours to take an MRI scan of L's head to determine what needs to be done to remove the broken chip and insert the new one," Watari continued, remembering the appointment he had set up.

"Oh… yes. I… I'd forgotten," Light said softly, placing his shoes off to the side. L slipped off of the bed, slinking down onto the floor to yawn widely and stretch before settling into his crouch, watching Light in interest. "I haven't really looked at the blueprints for awhile, because you've been telling me what I need to do, and I've just been going off of that," Light laughed sheepishly, though there was an odd note to the sound.

_God, is the microchip really that close to being done? _

"Light, is there something wrong?"

"What?" Light blinked, jerked out of his thoughts by the concerned hand that Watari placed upon his shoulder. With a small, reassuring smile, he waved Watari off, dismissing it. "No, no. Not at all. Oh, look at the time! If you're going to go and meet the contact, you had best get ready, Watari. I'll go and get started on that, so the glue will be ready by the time we get back."

Ducking his head once, Light gestured to L, who immediately sidled up to Light's side and then they left, heading off to the lab, where the chip was being assembled.

Watari stared after Light, admittedly confused for a moment, before it hit him. Light's actions towards L, how they were rarely separated- though it could be argued that it was simply L's attachment to his alpha- everything bespoke…

"I think… ah, I see," Watari whispered quietly, turning way to collect his own coat. "Poor Light. This has really messed everything up, hasn't it? I wonder…. I just hope everything shall turn out in the end."

* * *

"Light."

Stopping, Light put down the pair of tweezers that were currently holding a very important piece of the microchip- plastic backing that he had just pulled out of its mold- and turned to face Watari, who was waiting patiently for his attention at the door. L didn't react to the intrusion other than to lift his head up slightly from the corner he was lying in, see who it was, flick an ear, and then lay his head back down.

He seemed to be getting remarkably lax as of late; either that, or boredom was starting to set in. Light really needed to find something for him to do… well, besides bothering Matsuda.

"Yes, Watari?" Light asked politely, glancing back over his shoulder to make sure all of his tools were situated safely on the table. They were delicate and somewhat hard to replace, and a single swipe of his elbow could send them scattering to the floor and breaking. It had happened once before, and since then, Light had been extra careful.

"Misa Amane is here- she wishes to see you," Watari told him, and Light sighed.

Of all days… when they were this close…

Nodding, Light took off his goggles and set them down on the table as well. L perked up at Light's actions, knowing from past experience that Light was cleaning up and therefore, getting ready to go. He rose to his feet, shook himself once and yawned lazily, raising a clawed hand to cover his mouth as he did so.

He waited patiently for Light to finish locking everything up and out of harm's way and then gestured to L to follow him, padding silently after the caramel-haired man.

Watari held open the door for them, telling Light, "She's in the second floor living room," as he passed.

Light nodded in thanks and Watari held up a small bag made from a thick, black material. "I've acquired the alloy- I asked the deliverer if he knew anything about the man Beyond sent to get the alloy a year ago, but he knew nothing," Watari informed him. "I'll finish setting the microchip together- you're no doubt eager to get this done, and I'll be able to do this if I'm very careful. Enjoy your time with Miss Amane."

* * *

Misa was indeed waiting for Light. But she wasn't alone.

"Misa… are you sure about this?"

Rem, dear, dear Rem was with her. The Shinigami was attached to her notebook and helped explain what Light wanted her to do and how she would do it. She was an invaluable asset, a dear ally to her cause to support Kira.

And Rem…

As for Rem, she was having serious misgivings about this. It had been bad enough when Light Yagami was manipulating them, but this addition of another person…

She remembered how it all came to pass. Light had already had a backup plan, when it became apparent that L was after them. In the early days of the investigation, L had been closing in, getting so very close to exposing her and Light as Kira 1 and 2. Too much evidence had been building up, and even the rest of the Task Force was starting to convert to L's side- even Soichiro, the staunchest supporter of Light's innocence, was having doubts. As such, Light had had to concoct a new plan, abandoning his original one before it was too late and he was unable to deny being Kira with any conviction anymore.

He had continued with his plan to put himself into solitary confinement- doing so willingly would regain some of his credibility and help reinforce the fact that he was confident he was not Kira. But it would be altered somewhat. He would not go in, suggesting to the Task Force that he had doubts as to his being Kira or not- he would issue a challenge to L, saying that if he was not Kira, then even after he was locked up, the killings would continue, proving that Kira was out there.

L might argue that he had some ability to kill criminals telepathically, but he obviously wouldn't be able to do so as he slept- and L would indeed, witness him sleep while being observed.

Light had had Misa give up her notebook before he went into solitary confinement, as well. He had told Misa that he was planning on offering to do so to cast suspicion off of him, and that he couldn't instruct her on what to do with the notebook while he was in isolation, if she still had it. Misa, of course, gave up the notebook when Light did, leaving them both memoriless.

Light had Rem take it and immediately find someone within the next day to write down criminal's names. He had written down enough criminal's names for a day in advance, in case Rem had trouble finding a person right away. And then, he told Rem that after both of them were proven not-guilty, he wanted Rem to return it to Misa, and then to him as well, to regain his memories.

From the time he gave up the Death Note, all of his responses would be Kira- free, and L would have no choice but to declare them innocent as the killings kept going even after the first day of imprisonment.

Rem had followed Light's instructions to the letter, and it had worked. Light had been fully cleared, as there was no evidence whatsoever to support the fact that he was Kira, though he had chosen to remain and work in tangent with L- something that he had definitely _not_ counted on in his plannings.

He had planned on returning home and regaining the Death Note right after being released, free from any scrutiny from L whatsoever. He hadn't counted on the fact that his non-Kira persona would want to stay at Task Force headquarters where there were too many security cameras to smuggle in the Death Note and hand it off to Light- much less Misa.

This much was apparent.

Rem had found a human who had very willingly agreed to write down criminal's names for Kira- a Kira-supporter, Rem had no doubt of. They had gone along with the plan perfectly, until Rem had tried to take the Death Note back when Light was released.

The person refused. The moment that Rem told that person she needed the Note back because L had released Light Yagami, they had morphed into an entirely different person. They had no plans of truly helping Kira- they had just needed Light Yagami to be released and for L to be relieved from having to watch over him.

From the very beginning, they had not planned on helping Kira- just waiting until the time was right.

They had another use for the Death Note, and it was not to dispose of the criminals in their world.

Now… she was subject to the whims of another human, one even more detestable than Light. Though this Light Yagami… the one without his memories of the Death Note- he was quite likeable. He was not manipulative nor a killer when he was without his Kira- memories, and how much he seemed to care about this L while he was incapacitated was quite honorable in Rem's eyes as well.

Perhaps… if there was a way to keep Light Yagami like this, then maybe she would do it. It was too late for Misa- she had already regained her memories, though Rem had intentionally withheld the knowledge of the Eyes to prevent Misa from making the trade and shortening her lifespan once more.

Yes. If there was some way to prevent what the new owner of her Death Note was planning, she would do it, no matter the cost.

* * *

"Hello, Light."

Light closed the door right as Misa stood up from the couch she had been sitting patiently on while waiting. However, he waited until L was through the door before shutting it firmly. And then, he turned to face the blonde woman who had a pleasant smile on her face.

However, something seemed… off. Light had always been a very instinctual person, able to pick up on the slightest nuances in a person's bearing and the slightest hint of a shift of mood within a room. There was an odd tenseness within the room, and as he glanced over at L, the way his ears tilted back slightly and the skin tensed around his slanted wolf-eyes was a good indicator that he wasn't the only one feeling that something was off.

The only one who didn't seem to sense this was Misa, who walked forwards with a warm smile. "Hey, Light!" she said, and then tilted her head over to L, regarding him with a more strained version of the smile she had just graced Light with.

How odd, because she had seemed so receptive of L the last few times she had come to visit them. After the incident that month ago with the experiment in the warehouse, when Misa had helped him to treat L in the infirmary, she had seemed much warmer to L, even going so far as to call him her friend. Light had simply guessed that it was a woman's motherly instincts towards something that was wounded; not that L was in any pain, as his wounds had healed overnight, but hidden as they were under his clothes, she never noticed.

However, Misa's much kinder treatment of L had eventually won him over, converting his strange, hostile suspicion of the woman to a sort of disinterested acceptance, regarding Misa as if she were simply to be tolerated.

But that changed whenever she decided to rub his ears, beckoning him over to her to curl up into a ball next to her, ears perked forwards and chin resting on one of her lace-clad thighs. He was a sucker for ear-rubs, Light had found. Light had spent more than one night drifting off to sleep with L curled up near him, rubbing the coarsely-furred black ears while L's face bled to contentment and a series of low, happy noises issued forth from the back of his throat.

But now… there was an odd, almost sly glint to Misa's eyes, and L shifted away tensely, recoiling, when she stepped closer, yellow eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Hello, Misa," Light replied, trying to return some normalcy to the room and attempting to brush off the odd feelings. He suspected that maybe it was some lingering tension from working on the chip; it was so close to being completed. With every day of progress that brought him closer to completing the chip, his mixed apprehension and excitement grew. Excitement, because he couldn't wait for L to return to being the brilliant human he was a little more than a year ago, but also apprehension, because some dark, doubting part of Light continuously whispered that Beyond had tricked them, that this wouldn't work and he'd have gotten his hopes up for nothing, because he had failed and L would remain like this forever.

It was at the times that the doubt threatened to overwhelm him that he remembered his promise- that even if L's human mind never returned to him, he'd remain at L's side no matter what. It made him feel more confident, and he'd usually be able to shake off those black thoughts and get back to doing what needed to be done.

Though there was another thought that often accompanied that doubt- a secret, almost sick desire for L to remain as he was, just because he'd gotten so used to L constantly following loyally at his side, curled up into a warm ball against his chest in bed, or dozing peacefully in the corner, a quiet, comforting presence.

That would all disappear in an instant once L was one more in possession of his human mind, and Light dreaded that day with a passion, even as the thought that maybe he _didn't_ want L to get better reminded himself horribly of Beyond Birthday. And the thought that he was similar in any way to the demented fuck was a disturbing thought.

It were these thoughts that were always the hardest to banish, because they were so true, and he knew it, and there was no excuse he could make that would make them go away. He simply had to wait for something to come along and distract him. They were terrible, these thoughts, and lately, he had found them creeping up upon him whenever his mind was idle and the microchip's completion date loomed ever closer.

But was he so wrong to desire something like that? For so long, he'd had no desire to keep someone with him, to become truly intimate with them. And then L had come along, and they'd become friends through some bizarre means, when he'd been released from solitary confinement free of any charge of being Kira.

L had still wanted to monitor him just to make completely sure, and soon enough, he had fallen into an easy friendship with the other man, delighted at finding someone who was actually worth spending time with, someone who was truly brilliant and was a pleasure to work with, whom he could bounce ideas off of and make progress with instead of feeling constantly bogged down.

And he'd been so very angry, so determined to get his friend back after that insane man had kidnapped him.

But… he'd gotten L back, yes. But then… there was this thing that had cropped up, not the attraction, because he could deal with that, but there was this insane, overwhelming desire to keep L at his side and with him at all times. He'd gotten so used to L being _there_, it would feel wrong for him not to be. Light needed, wanted, _desired_ L to be with him always, and it was this that caused the sick little thoughts to plague him at the most inopportune of moments, whispering into his mind that it would be easy for he and L to stay as they were now- just crush the microchip, call it an accident, and he'd have gained more time with L.

These thoughts made him want to retch, and whenever they slipped into his consciousness, he desperately pushed them back to the back of his brain, trying to erase them from existence.

He felt, sometimes, as if these were not his own thoughts that crept into his mind. That thought, out of all others, disturbed him the most. It brought memories of the Kira investigation- oh, how his brilliant mind could recall them so clearly, taunt him with theories that perhaps, what if…

No. it had been done, closed for over a year. He had been cleared of all charges- there was no way.

But… what if it had? L had speculated that Light had lost his memories being Kira. Deep down, Light feared that these memories were slowly beginning to return, to creep forwards once more within his mind and taint his thoughts and feelings.

But he had not been Kira!

At least… he hadn't thought so. And that he was unsure was frightening, because while there was no hard evidence to prove that he wasn't Kira, there was also no touchable, tangible evidence to prove that he _wasn't_.

"Hello? Are you alive in there?"

A hand waving in front of his face brought Light back to the present and he blinked, seeing Misa standing before him, peering at him with an expression of mixed, long-suffering amusement and inquisitiveness. There was something in her eyes, though… something that remained off and Light was disturbed to think that it seemed almost… malicious.

Clever, cunning, and foxlike.

Shaking his head to clear it, Light stepped back from her, eyes shifting over to L. He was still regarding Misa with a healthy amount of distrust, suspicion heavily evident in his gleaming yellow eyes. "Misa…" Light greeted, returning his attention to her. He offered a small smile, though his eyes analyzed her, attempting to see where she was off. "It's good to see you again."

She beamed then, a smile filled with joy. "It's wonderful to see you again, too, Light. It feels like it's been awhile."

"Yes, it has," Light tentatively agreed, holding his arm out in the direction of the couch in an inviting gesture. "Let's sit. I've been standing all day, and my legs are somewhat tired. The process of returning L's humanity to him doesn't allow a lot of time for sitting," he smiled almost apologetically.

This, of course, wasn't true. But Misa was treating L differently than she had before, was behaving differently. Direct the conversation onto L subtly, and see how she would react to him.

L perked up at the sound of his name, and though he sidled along after Light, he stayed very close to him and made no attempt to go near Misa, as he would have on other occasions. He was quite obviously avoiding Misa.

Strange.

"Oh, I've almost forgotten- I have something for you," Misa told Light brightly as they settled down upon the soft cushions of the couch. L stayed on the opposite side of Light, eyes never wavering in their assessment of Misa. He shifted subtly closer to Light, and he could feel the tenseness coiled within L's muscles as he brushed up against him.

He brushed this off, however, and redirected his attention to Misa. "What would that be?" he enquired politely, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. It was rare that Misa had something to give him…

She gave him a secretive little smile and leaned down to pull a pink bag onto her lap, fingers idly pulling at the pink tissue paper. "Well now, silly, you'll have to open it for yourself and see. It would ruin the surprise if I were to tell you," she laughed as she held the bag out, proffering it to Light, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth and excitement.

He eyed it with a measure of wariness, disliking the abundance of pink. "Um, Misa… the pink…"

She nodded in understanding, a sympathetic grimace flashing across her features. "Yes, I know. It wasn't my ideal choice either, but the store was out of other decorative bags and this was the only color they had. And I really didn't want to wait until they got a new shipment in to give this to you."

Light could detect a slight untruth in Misa's voice- and there was something suspicious in her saying that the store was almost out of bags. It was Tokyo, and there were numerous other stores that were open and available to acquire a gift bag from. Why she didn't simply go to another store was somewhat confusing to Light, but Misa… she had never really made much sense to him.

Nonetheless, he accepted the bag, gingerly grasping the pink thing between two fingers in a mimicry of the way L used to hold things. He tentatively fingered the pink tissue spilling from the bag, flicking his eyes up to see Misa smiling and waving her hands in a 'go-ahead' motion.

Sighing, Light ripped the paper away from the bag, feeling something heavy thump inside of it. Brows furrowing, Light removed the rest of the tissue paper, missing the excited gleam of anticipation in Misa's eyes. L didn't miss it, however, and his lip curled in the beginnings of a snarl, sensing something wrong.0

Peering inside, Light saw the corner of something black peeking out from the tissue paper.

_What the…?_

Light's brows furrowed in confusion as he tipped the bag to its side, over his lap. There was a rustling and shifting from the bag, and then with a last thump, a black, square object slid out from the pink bag and landed in Light's lap. It appeared to be a simple black notebook, with no markings or the such on the outside.

He tilted his head up, raising an eyebrow at Misa's delighted expression. He gesture to the notebook in his lap. "What is this?"

Misa rolled her eyes. "It's a notebook, silly," she grinned. "I thought you might want a notebook in case you want to document your time here. A keepsake, a memory for all that you've accomplished."

Oddly touched, Light felt a small smile start at his lips. He hadn't thought of that; that he might want something to recall his experiences working under the famed L when all this was over. "Thank you, Misa," he began, reaching down for the notebook to better examine it.

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the front cover, there was an angry snarl from his side and a flash of black as L grabbed the notebook and vaulted over his lap, landing gracefully on the carpet some feet away.

"L!" Light stood to his feet but paused when he saw L's hostile stance. His ears were flattened back and tail held straight up, bristling in anger. His yellow eyes were locked firmly on Misa, slitted into furious slivers of yellow and a hateful snarl twisted his lips.

Light felt a flash of apprehension go through him- it was almost like that time back in the cells those months ago, when they had first found L and brought him back. L had looked like this then, too- and he had tried to kill Light.

What had happened?

"L?" Light tried tentatively, taking a step forwards. He froze, however, when L let angry growl rip from his throat, eyes flitting over to Light. He backed away, black notebook still clutched firmly in hand, shoulders hunching over protectively as he eyed Misa and Light.

"Light?" Misa asked, and there was a tremble in her voice- funny, it almost sounded… angry, Light thought. Not fearful, as he would have guessed, but furious. Glancing back, he saw that Misa's fists were clenched, face black and livid. Upon seeing Light's questioning glance, something passed deep within her eyes and they opened wide, shock and fear flitting through them and settling onto her face.

The change was unsettling, and once again, Light was overtaken by the sense that something was absolutely _off_ about Misa.

"Light? What… what's he doing?" Misa said, backing away as L let out a disturbing sound that seemed to be a mix of both a hiss and a growl.

"I…I'm not sure," Light admitted, shaking his head. And he wasn't. Why had L taken the notebook?

Stepping forwards, Light reached a hand out to L, only to have the man back away, face twisting into a snarl and fingers clenching around the black notebook, lethal nails digging into the front cover. His ivory teeth flashed into sight for a brief moment before L whirled and loped out of the room, streaking away from them before Light could react.

"Hey!" Misa cried, shock and a strange sense of rage lacing her voice as she ran after L, Light quickly following behind her.

* * *

This… this thing had a bad feeling to it. Rotting and corrupted, just like the black-haired human.

Hearing the cries of his alpha and the yellow-haired human that had the same rotting sense of darkness surrounding her, he stopped, torn between wanting to go back to his alpha, to heed his commands that L could pick up with his keen ears and the desire to take this thing far away from his alpha. He would do anything to keep his alpha from becoming corrupted by the same festering rot that pervaded the aura of both this book and the human that had attempted to give it to his alpha.

For this was the source of the corruption; the yellow-haired human had not had the darkness surrounding her before she had come here with this thing, and there was such a horrible sense that this gave off… it raised the hackles on the back of his neck to even be near it, and even now, it was sending horrid chills running though his being to be close to the source of such darkness.

This thing was infective in its corruptiveness, and L knew with absolute certainty that he must not allow his alpha to be exposed to it.

He would die at the angry claws of his alpha for blatantly disobeying him before he allowed his alpha to touch this.

Decided, L flattened his ears, attempting to block out the calls of his alpha and the corrupted human that were gradually getting louder, and clutching the malicious black thing to his chest, he started up again, loping swiftly down the halls. His keen yellow eyes searched relentlessly for a place to hide, to remain undetected until he could get rid of this thing and get it away from his alpha.

However, he saw nothing- only a long array of closed entrances that he had trouble opening because of the length of his claws, and he whined in frustration and desperation as he saw the end of the hall approaching. At this rate, he'd have to turn back, and he didn't think he could face his alpha, knowing what he had done.

Coming to a halt at the end of the hall, L shifted restlessly on clawed, arched feet, ears flattened back as he whipped his head around, attempting to figure out what to do.

A creaking noise from his right made him snarl and jump away, flashing his fangs in a warning gesture- only to stop as he saw that it was one of the things blocking an entrance swing open. His ear flicked as he assessed the door, curious as to what had caused it to open suddenly, when the distant sound of his name being called by a familiar voice reached his ears.

Eyes widening at the realization that his alpha was getting closer, L reacted instinctively and dove through the door, not noticing as a bony hand shut it silently behind him.

His head whipped around as he took in the empty, darkened room- and then, his eyes locked onto a desk pushed off to the corner of the room. He knew from past experience that the front was covered up, but there was a space under it, where humans put their legs under while working.

Thinking quickly, L padded around it, black square still clutched tightly in hand, and kneeling down, slid under the desk, contorting his flexible body into a comfortable ball so that no part of his body was sticking out. The black square was pressed safely against his chest, tail tucked firmly around his body, and lying his head against the floor, he slowly stilled his breathing, ears pricked as he awaited any sign that his alpha or the other blonde human was coming and would discover him.

* * *

Rem was not stupid, as many people might have thought. There were times, she admitted, that her love for Misa made her do foolish things that were not well-thought out, but this was not one of them.

She had had ample time to figure out what Misa was doing with the Death Note, and knew enough to see what would happen if everything went according to a certain disgusting human's plan and Light Yagami regained his memories and the Death Note.

There was a reason she had made herself scarce, telling Misa that she had business in the Shinigami Realm to attend to and would not be around. _If one has business in the Shinigami Realm such as I do,_ Rem had explained patiently to Misa, _then the rule that bids me to stay close to the possessor of my Note is void until that business is taken care of._

That was an outright lie, of course, but Misa had not thought to challenge that, as wrapped up as she was in her plans to slip Light the Death Note covertly. That single-mindedness had allowed Rem to think and ponder in silence. She knew what Misa was planning to do, how she was planning to get Light the Death Note- the girl had a penchant for talking to herself- and Rem's cunning intelligence had come into play.

Sneakily, while Misa was making her dinner, Rem had snuck into the living room and taken the pink bag and tissue paper the Death Note had come to Misa in, phasing up through the ceiling and stashing it away on the roof of the apartment complex.

From there, still intangible, she had waited with unshakeable patience until Misa had finished eating and come back to finish re-packaging the Death Note to give to Light the next day. However, upon discovering the bag missing- _Oh, I must have misplaced it… ah, well. I suppose that there were a few things I needed from the store anyway…-_ Misa had set out to the nearest store to buy a bag and a few other items she needed.

Rem, never far behind, had followed Misa, and going as far as she was allowed, had phased into a store, stealthily life a black notebook that was the same as the unmarked Death Note Misa had been given, and then waited until Misa was done and on her way home, keeping away from Misa's eyes the whole time.

Then, she had simply had to wait until the next day for her chance, when L took the Death Note, as Rem was sure he would. She had thought that L, with his keen senses, would be able to ascertain the true nature of the notebook of death- and take it to prevent Light from touching it and potentially being harmed by it.

And now, the time was perfect- everything that Rem had needed to happen would.

She silently closed the door and stepped around to the side of the desk, bending over to peer under it. Yellow eyes met her own, widening in surprise momentarily before they narrowed and black ears flattened back, a warning growl rumbling from the detective's chest.

"Quiet," Rem said softly, her tone commanding, and L stopped, staring at her, assessing her. Tentatively, his eyes and tense demeanor relaxed- for her tone was that of a commanding alpha's, and L's instincts told him to listen to this new, strange creature.

The bony creature did not have any sense of malevolence about it- her, as he could sense that it was female in mind if not in body. The absence of any sort of negative feelings set L more at ease and tentatively, he raised his head slightly to sniff in her direction curiously.

She allowed this, and then Rem held out the black notebook that was in her hand- the exact same as L was gripping tightly, claws digging small holes into the front of the cover. "Here," Rem insisted quietly, proffering the ordinary notebook to the detective, reaching out an empty hand in a gesture that signified she wished to exchange.

And L, in a primal, instinctive way, understood.

Yellow eyes widened and ears pricked forwards interestedly as he took in the notebook Rem was holding out, sniffing it tentatively. It held no dark, malicious aura as the one he was holding, and it looked the same as the one he held.

After analyzing the situation and understanding that Rem wished to trade, L released the bad black notebook from the strangling deathgrip his clawed fingers held it in, letting it fall onto the floor. Then, he stretched out his neck, gently took the other notebook in mouth, and leant down his head to nudge the rejected black notebook towards Rem with his nose.

In his own wolfish way, he was glad that he was being offered the chance to dispose of the thing that had such a dark aura about it.

Grateful that her plan had been pulled off without any problems, Rem took hold of the Death Note and after inclining her head to L in a gesture of respect, she quickly stood and left the room in triumph, phasing through the ceiling and other floor and ceilings until she reached the roof of the building.

Clutching the Death Note tightly in bony hands, a pleased smile tilted Rem's purple lips upwards, a hint of fang peeking through her lips.

The owner of this Death Note would be very displeased.

And for Rem, that was a very, very good thing indeed.

* * *

"I don't know where he could be," Light admitted as he and Misa came to the end of the hall, coming to a halt and looking around. Gesturing to the doors, he explained, "They're all locked or firmly shut, and L can't open doors very well because of his claws. I don't know where he could have run, because he can't have taken the elevator."

"Maybe one of the doors were left open by someone?" Misa suggested hopefully, shrugging as she offered up the idea. Before Light could say anything, she pushed against the door closest to her. She jumped back in surprise when it swung open, revealing an empty, darkened room.

"Well… maybe you were right, Misa," Light admitted, stepping closer and peering inside of the room.

Skeptically, Misa did the same, her blue eyes sweeping the room once, taking everything in before she frowned. "I don't hear or see him," she remarked, leaning back away from the door. "Maybe he's in another room."

"I wouldn't dismiss it just yet," Light said, stepping into the room. "He's very quiet… he could be hiding in here."

"Why would he hide?" Misa questioned, following Light into the room and flicking on the switch as she did so, flooding the room with light.

"Because he thinks- knows- he did something wrong by running off with the notebook you bought as a gift for me and by not returning when I called his name," Light explained, looking around. His eyes locked onto the desk and he quirked a brow, eyeing it with speculation. That was the only place L could be…

"Hold on, Misa," he told the blonde girl, holding out a hand. He didn't want to scare L away, and with how he was reacting around her earlier…

She nodded and Light walked quietly to the desk, peering around the corner. From where he was, he could see the smallest hint of black fur poking out from the desk. He smiled slightly; so he was right, then.

He didn't know why L had reacted as he did, and though he had been confused and frankly, annoyed, he wasn't angry as L most likely thought. He stepped around the desk, hearing a soft thump as L shifted nervously, and then he knelt down, meeting fearful yellow eyes and pinned- back ears.

A small whine escaped L's throat as Light bent down, amber eyes skimming briefly over his body, noting the tense posture apparent under the jeans and black shirt. White fangs bared in a fearful grimace and Light could see the black notebook L had ran off with resting over his clawed fingers.

Sighing, Light held out a hand- though he understand L in this form better than most, there were still some things that L did that confused Light- but thinking about it now, Light thought with a trace of amusement, there would always be things about the complex, enigmatic detective that would always confuse him, no matter what. L was still L, even with his fucked- up mind and DNA.

He couldn't really be angry at L- he must have had a reason for what he did, and Light just didn't think it would be worth it to get upset over it. From where he was standing, he could see that the notebook was undamaged, and he couldn't berate L for what he had done- what if L had done it for a good cause that was just within his own mind?

L's eyes regarded Light's open hand with a heavy amount of suspicion and Light smiled, trying to convey that he wasn't angry. "C'mon, L," he murmured, reaching forwards a bit, causing L to growl a bit within his throat and shuffle backwards, back thumping against the wood of the desk.

He stayed there for a moment, waiting for L, and then the detective seemed to come to a decision within his mind and hesitantly stuck his head forwards. He rested his cheek tentatively in Light's hand, nudging at the pad of Light's thumb with his nose in a gesture that bespoke the want of forgiveness. He let out a soft huff, yellow eyes still gazing with careful attentiveness at Light, ready to draw back the second Light turned angry.

Light allowed L to stay where he was for a moment, enjoying the feel of L's soft cheek in his hand, patting it gently before drawing back, standing up and gesturing for L to come out as well.

Tail waving slightly in hope that his alpha was not mad, L grasped the notebook gently between his teeth and gracefully uncurled himself from under the desk, sliding out and standing to his feet in a swift, single movement.

Misa was there as well, watching from the doorway as L bent his head and nudged Light with the black notebook in the upper arm, waiting for him to take it with wide eyes, glad that his alpha did not appear to be angry, despite his actions that he knew had been wrong.

Smiling a bit despite himself, Light took the notebook and reached out to swipe a not-too gentle hand over L's coarsely-furred black ears, in a gesture that communicated that while he was not angry, L should not do that again.

Tail slightly curling, L flicked an ear, huffing and rolling his eyes in exasperation. Yet, there was a definite sense of understanding that was communicated through L's actions- he wouldn't be doing such a thing again.

"Good," Light murmured, nodding as he took the notebook from L, unable to help admiring the way L's ivory-white teeth gleamed in the dim sunlight filtering in through the window as he opened his mouth to release the notebook.

L's yellow eyes flitted over to Misa, watching keenly as Light took the notebook- she seemed to be waiting for something, though Light remained oblivious to this as he took the notebook in hand and flipped through it, ascertaining that L had done no damage to it with teeth or nails.

"Light?" Misa asked, gaining Light's attention. Notebook still held open in his hand, he gave Misa a smile, not noticing the way L flicked an ear and curled a lip at Misa, sensing a dark sense of excitement and anticipation as she saw Light holding the notebook. "What do you think?"

Eagerly phrased, it could be taken as simple anticipation to see what someone thought of a gift, though Misa wanted to see if the notebook had worked- wanted to see Light be Kira once more, make sure that he was who he was supposed to be.

But rather than doing as she thought he would and answer as Kira, with that devilish smile full of plans for a new world, for a utopia that they would create together, he simply gave her a grateful smile. It was an innocently grateful smile, Misa saw, and confusion and anger flashed through her as she saw it- had the notebook not restored his memories?

"Thank you for the notebook, Misa," Light said, smiling at her, caressing the smooth cover as L stared unblinkingly with those disturbing yellow eyes. "It's a lovely notebook, and I'll put it to good use."

_Put it to good use._

Light was a master at using words, Misa knew. Double entendres and hidden meanings were his forte, cleverly crafting words to say one thing but mean another. Misa wasn't as intelligent as Light- few were, she knew and openly admitted, but she knew this much about Light. So, she thought perhaps that he was simply being careful- the notebook probably did work, she thought with some relief. Light was simply being careful because of potential security cameras.

Yet still… a sense of doubt went through Misa as she stared into Light's warm amber eyes. As Kira, there had been an… aura, and air about him that he didn't have now. There was a tangible difference in Light when he had his memories of being Kira and when he was without them, a difference in the way he spoke, behaved, held himself and it showed. He might have been a wonderful actor, but one couldn't hide changes that involved who they truly were.

And this Light… he didn't _seem _like he had his memories of the Death Note, like she did. And that worried her. Had something happened? Had L, somehow, done something to it? She knew that L had most likely sensed the difference within herself after taking possession of the Note once more- it had been apparent in the way he no longer seemed to trust her, seemed almost openly hostile.

"It's… nothing, Light," Misa said slowly, blue eyes searching Light intently for any sign, however small, that Light had regained his memories through the notebook. "I'm just glad you like it."

"I do," Light answered. "In fact, I-" just then, Light was cut off by the sudden shrill ringing of at cell phone. Hastily, Light fumbled in his pocket and flipped the phone open, seeing Watari's name flash on the I.D.

"Watari," Light greeted as he flipped the phone open, holding it up to his ear. A slight flash of apprehension went through him- for he thought he knew why Watari was calling, and it was a reason the he had both come to anticipate and dread.

"Light, I've just tested the chip and the glue is dry. I've called in the surgeon, and he shall be here shortly- we need L to the infirmary to get MRI scans of him and prep him for the surgery, as well as allow the surgeon to get a look and feel for what he'll be doing."

"I understand, Watari," Light replied somewhat tersely, glancing back at L. "We'll be there shortly."

"Of course." And then, Watari disconnected the call with a click and Light shut his phone, replacing it back into his pocket. Looking up at Misa, he sighed. "L and I need to go- the microchip is done, and the surgeon has been called in."

"He'll be… normal again?" Misa asked, pointing at L daintily, regarding the wolfish form of the detective with distrust.

Nodding, Light tucked the black notebook under his arm, gesturing for L to follow him as he walked to the door, opening it. "Yes. He'll most likely be out for a few days, recovering, but then… he should be back to a human thinking process again. He might not be the same L- he'll probably have some trouble coming to terms with his alterations and what's happened, but yes. He'll be L once more." Pausing, he flashed Misa a grateful smile. "But thank you, Misa- for the notebook and all that you've done to help me in the past."

And then, Light was gone through the door, followed closely by L even as Misa was left it he room her cheeks taken on a pinkish tinge by the unprecedented compliment from Light. However, a tickling brush of fur against her legs snapped Misa's attention back to the room. She looked up, her eyes narrowing as she saw L pause only momentarily to stare at Misa with unblinking yellow eyes, before they shifted slightly, becoming more feral and wolfish, almost cruelly intelligent. Slowly, the corner of a pale lip curled up awards, exposing a fang in an animalistic smirk. And then, L was gone, padding swiftly and silently after Light with a predator's grace.

* * *

Sitting outside of the infirmary later that evening, Light's ears were strained as he awaited any sound of the door opening, signaling the surgeon was emerging from the room he had been operating on L on. It was supposed to be a simple surgery- take the broken chip out and replace it with the new one that would convert L's mental thinking processes to that of a human once more, but still…

Brain surgery was still a very delicate task, and though Light knew that Watari had called in the very best- both he and Light would settle for nothing less than that best- it was still a nerve-wracking experience, waiting to see if it had gone well.

His head suddenly shot up as he heard the soft open and close of a door, and then the sound of light footsteps. He saw the surgeon coming towards him, still dressed in scrubs, but there was a light smile on the surgeon's lined, experienced face that instantly set Light's mind at ease.

"How is…" Light asked urgently, rising to his feet eagerly.

The surgeon hesitated to answer for a moment, as if weighing his words, but when he spoke, his soft, calm voice was soothing to Light's frazzled nerves.

"…For all that I've never seen such alterations on a human being before," the surgeon said, glancing back at the door that separated them from L, "a human brain is still a brain, and I was able to successfully set the microchip, as specifically directed. His vital signs are normal, reflexes normal, and brain activity is high. I can only guess as to what the microchip is supposed to do," the surgeon continued, implying that he would not pry any farther than that, "but his mind should function normally now. The surgery went well- there was only one complication."

Heart clenching, Light could only fearfully ask, "What?"

"The incision kept trying to clot- to heal at a rate such as I've never seen," the surgeon replied truthfully. "We eventually had to give him an anti-coagulate to prevent this clotting from taking place. It slowed the healing down somewhat, long enough to insert the chip without having to re-open the incision too many more times."

"Ah." Relaxing back, Light nodded. "Yes. I can see how that would become problematic."

"Indeed," the surgeon said. "Everything went well- he's sleeping now," the surgeon continued, turning away from Light, "but you can go in and see him, if you're careful."

"You will not tell anyone about what occurred here, correct?" Light asked, amber eyes intent and serious as he gazed at the elderly surgeon."

"No. I signed a contract that said," and here the surgeon smiled slightly, "that if I were to disclose anything I had seen, observed, or learned here to anyone, I'd have a nice, solitary confinement cell to look forwards to in a remote prison for the rest of my life. I will not be talking about anything I've seen here, rest assured."

Searching the surgeon's faded brown eyes, Light could sense nothing but honesty in them. Satisfied, he nodded and after thanking the man, immediately went to the door, opened it quietly, and slipped inside, shutting it softly after him.

Taking a deep breath, Light silently made his way to the edge of the bed, where L lay peacefully. A thin white blanket was pulled over his body, clawed hands folded on top of his chest, rising and falling with each deeply-indrawn breath. His face was peaceful, and a white bandage was wrapped around his head, though Light suspected that he really didn't need it- healing rates and such. Small spikes of black hair poked out through the wrappings, and Light could only guess that his ears had been folded back before having the bandages wrapped around his head, because they were obscured beneath the wrappings.

A steady beeping came from a machine that L was hooked up to, monitoring his vital signs, and an IV was hooked to him, a clear fluid dripping slowly through the tube and into L's body.

Sighing, Light brought a hand up to run a gentle touch over L's cheek, feeling the soft skin under his fingers, reveling in the knowledge that L _was_ going to be alright, that even though everything might be irrevocably changed, that L might be damaged, this was the first step to fixing him.

L would be L once again, Light had once vowed. And he'd do whatever he could to allow L to become as he was once more, even if his physical alterations could not be reversed. Even if… even if he had gotten used to L becoming reliant on him, never straying too far from his side, a constant companion, he would give that up for the sake of L. for him becoming normal once more, Light could give that up- reluctantly, but he would.

Sighing, Light stepped away and drew up the chair in the corner closer to L's bed and sat down, his eyes never leaving L's pale, sleeping face. Gently, he leaned over and rested a hand on L's forehead, fiddling with the end of the bandage, held on by a thin strap of Velcro, contemplating taking it off, because L probably didn't really need it anymore.

"You can take those bandages off."

Jumping slightly, Light turned in his chair to see Watari standing at the doorframe, regarding Light with an inscrutable look. Stepping into the room, Watari's eyes traveled from Light to L, assessing his sleeping form. "With what we've seen of his healing rate, he most likely doesn't need those anymore. It might be more comfortable for him, as well- less pressure against his ears."

Swallowing, Light nodded and reached gently to peel away the Velcro ending of the bandages, slipping an arm under L's slight shoulders to lift him up more, tugging the white bandages wrapped around his head away. Coarse black fur streaking down his spine brushed tickling against Light's skin, making his skin tingle as he gently set L back down upon the bed, arranging his head gently onto the pillow.

Light knew Watari had most likely seen Light's gestures- the stroking of his cheek, the way he had laid a hand on L's forehead tenderly, and combined with his no doubt suspicious actions earlier that day regarding L's possible mental recovery, connected the dots. Light cursed himself mentally- he hadn't meant to give the old man such ideas…

Wincing, Light raised his eyes to Watari, seeing the stern gaze directed upon him. "Watari…" Light started, but then abruptly trailed off, for once, his eloquence deserting him and leaving him clueless as to what to say.

A few moments passed, and then Watari spoke, his voice hard, yet somewhat gentle at the same time. "…I trust you, Light Yagami," he said, much to Light's surprise. "If I hadn't seen firsthand the care and attention you showed to L while he was in the state he was in… no doubt, I would have had more misgivings than I already do." Watari's faded eyes were serious and intent as he stared at Light. "L will no doubt be very confused and apprehensive after coming out of this- it will take time to recover, and being presented with your attentions will only serve to make his situation more so."

"I've thought about it, Watari," Light said, looking away and onto L's pale face, unable to help but admire the way his black hair splayed contrastingly over the white sheets, ears laid back almost lazily on the pillow. "I know this. And I am patient. I can wait, and I will do my best to help him through this," Light said fervently, looking up and meeting Watari's gaze.

"You'll stand by him, no matter what happens?" Watari asked, and Light knew that his answer would be the deciding factor for Watari. He did not love L- he knew that much. Admired his resolve, respected his intelligence and status as L, desired his body and mind, but love did not factor into the equation- he was not one to believe in instant love. But he definitely cared for L, and after having dwelt upon it for days, knew that L was probably one of the only people he would ever desire in such a way- the man was so fascinating, even as he was now. Even as a supposedly simple-minded animal in intellect, L was a fascinatingly confusing, complex creature, and that only made Light desire L more- but he would not act upon that desire unless L was human in mind, could understand what was occurring.

"Yes," Light answered simply, after a moment, deciding that a simple, honest answer would be better than cleverly-worded, long explanations. "I'll stay with him, no matter what."

"Then…" Watari said slowly, gazing at L, "I suppose we will have to take this one step at a time, starting with how L reacts to the changes wrought on his body. We shall take this little by little, and adjust accordingly. But for now… let us go. Leave L to rest- he will not wake until morning, and you could get some sleep until then."

* * *

Oh, those fools. Those poor fools.

There was no way they could have known, and now, it would cost them.

Everything was perfect.

With the push of a button, their world would come crashing down around them, and a new one would be built in the wake of the destruction.

With the push of a button, control would be gained.

So now… wake up, pet.

It's time.

* * *

In the dark stillness of the infirmary room, a head snapped up, yellow eyes huge as he blinked. His ears swiveled as he tilted his head to the side, listening for a voice that he subconsciously recognized, a voice that slipped insidiously into his mind, twisting and spreading ensnaring tendrils through his mind, trapping his mind and bending it once more to the voice's will.

_Come to me, pet._

It whispered through his mind, hissing soothingly into his ears, pulling and tugging at his brain, wiping away every thought other than that of obeying it fully.

His eyes closed as his ears stilled, pricked forwards intently and a small shiver ran down his spine as the voice wound through his mind, rendering him incapable of doing or thinking anything other than what the voice commanded him to do.

_You need to come to me. Obey me…_

And then, his eyes slowly slid open, blinking blearily before they cleared, sharp and intense and wholly open as the voice fully took root in his brain.

In the darkness of the room lit only by the light filtering in through the uncurtained window from the Tokyo cityscape, L's eyes glowed an almost forgotten, feral gold, devoid of any emotion and as blank as the empty slate his mind had become.

_Good, my pet._

_Come to me, now._

_Come to the cell._


End file.
